Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 8, 2026
06:08
Quantification of Hypopigmentation Activity In Vitro
Published on: March 6, 2019
Heme Oxygenase-1 Differentially Controls Pigmentation in Physiological and Pathological Melanogenesis
Agnieszka Seretny1, Grażyna Jamróg1, Jacek Stępniewski1
1Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland.
Pigment Cell & Melanoma Research
|July 6, 2026
Summary
Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) regulates melanoma pigmentation by affecting melanosome trafficking and export, but not melanogenesis gene expression. HO-1
Area of Science:
- Melanoma Research
- Cell Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Melanogenesis is crucial for melanocyte biology and melanoma development.
- Tumor-specific regulators of melanogenesis in melanoma are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in regulating melanoma pigmentation.
- To determine if HO-1's function in pigmentation differs between malignant and homeostatic contexts.
Main Methods:
- Engineered B16-F10 melanoma cells with varying HO-1 levels.
- Assessed pigmentation intensity, tyrosinase activity, and melanogenesis gene transcription.
- Investigated melanosome trafficking and secretion.
- Co-culture experiments with stromal cells.
- Transcriptomic analysis of human melanoma datasets.
Main Results:
- HO-1 abundance correlated with pigmentation and tyrosinase activity in melanoma cells.
- HO-1 regulated intracellular melanin retention and pigment export, impacting melanosome transfer.
- Stromal HO-1 promoted melanoma pigmentation via paracrine effects.
- Human melanoma data linked HMOX1 expression to melanosome acidification and lysosomal transport, not classical melanogenesis.
- HO-1 was dispensable in non-malignant melanocytes.
Conclusions:
- Heme oxygenase-1 is a context-dependent regulator of melanoma pigmentation.
- HO-1 influences melanosome trafficking and secretion in melanoma.
- HO-1 may be a selective target for modulating pigmentation in melanoma.
Related Concept Videos
01:19Pigmentation
The color of the skin is influenced by a number of pigments, including melanin, carotene, and hemoglobin. Recall that melanin is produced by cells called melanocytes, which are found scattered throughout the stratum basale of the epidermis. The melanin is transferred to the keratinocytes via melanosomes.
Melanin occurs in two primary forms: eumelanin that provides black and brown pigment and pheomelanin that provides red color. Dark-skinned individuals produce more melanin than those with pale...
Melanin occurs in two primary forms: eumelanin that provides black and brown pigment and pheomelanin that provides red color. Dark-skinned individuals produce more melanin than those with pale...
01:33Pleiotropy
Pleiotropy is the phenomenon in which a single gene impacts multiple, seemingly unrelated phenotypic traits. For example, defects in the SOX10 gene cause Waardenburg Syndrome Type 4, or WS4, which can cause defects in pigmentation, hearing impairments, and an absence of intestinal contractions necessary for elimination. This diversity of phenotypes results from the expression pattern of SOX10 in early embryonic and fetal development. SOX10 is found in neural crest cells that form melanocytes,...
01:39Epistasis
In addition to multiple alleles at the same locus influencing traits, numerous genes or alleles at different locations may interact and influence phenotypes in a phenomenon called epistasis. For example, rabbit fur can be black or brown depending on whether the animal is homozygous dominant or heterozygous at a TYRP1 locus. However, if the rabbit is also homozygous recessive at a locus on the tyrosinase gene (TYR), it will have an unshaded coat that appears white, regardless of its TYRP1...
01:25Jaundice
Jaundice, or icterus, is the yellow discoloration of the skin, sclerae, and mucous membranes. It happens when plasma bilirubin levels rise above 2.5-3 mg/dL, leading to bilirubin deposition in tissue.Bilirubin is a byproduct of hemoglobin degradation. In macrophages, hemoglobin breaks down into globin and heme. Globin is converted into amino acids, while heme is turned into biliverdin by heme oxygenase, which is then reduced to unconjugated bilirubin by biliverdin reductase.Unconjugated...
01:09Epistasis Analysis
Although Mendel chose seven unrelated traits in peas to study gene segregation, most traits involve multiple gene interactions that create a spectrum of phenotypes. When the interaction of various genes or alleles at different locations influences a phenotype, this is called epistasis. Epistasis often involves one gene masking or interfering with the expression of another (antagonistic epistasis). Epistasis often occurs when different genes are part of the same biochemical pathway. The...
01:14Changes in Skin Color: Clinical Perspectives
The first thing a clinician sees is the skin, so the examination of the skin should be part of any thorough physical examination. Most skin disorders are relatively benign, but a few, including melanomas, can be fatal if untreated. A couple of the more noticeable disorders, albinism and vitiligo, affect the appearance of the skin and its accessory organs.
Albinism
Albinism is a genetic disorder that affects (completely or partially) the coloring of skin, hair, and eyes. The defect is primarily...
Albinism
Albinism is a genetic disorder that affects (completely or partially) the coloring of skin, hair, and eyes. The defect is primarily...