melanocyte

American  

[muh-lan-uh-sahyt, mel-uh-nuh-] / məˈlæn əˌsaɪt, ˈmɛl ə nə- /

noun

Cell Biology.

1. a cell producing and containing melanin.

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melanocyte British  

/ ˈmɛlənəʊˌsaɪt /

noun

1. anatomy zoology a cell, usually in the epidermis, that contains melanin

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melanocyte Scientific  

/ mĕl′ə-nō-sīt′,mə-lăn′ə- /

1. An epidermal cell that synthesizes melanin.

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Etymology

Origin of melanocyte

First recorded in 1885–90; melano- + -cyte

Example Sentences

As a proxy to determine how individual skin cells express genes, the researchers measured the amount of RNA that each melanocyte was producing and determined the gene it encoded.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 27, 2024

"MITF, LEF1, and TRPS1 are involved in signaling pathways regulating both melanocyte differentiation and hair development," Tishkoff says.

From Science Daily • Jan. 12, 2024

The melanocyte stem cells in our hair follicles are responsible for producing and maintaining the pigment in our hair.

From New York Times • Apr. 19, 2023

As hair ages, sheds and then repeatedly grows back, increasing numbers of the melanocyte stem cells become sluggish at their job.

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2023

The second is a melanocyte, a cell that produces the pigment melanin.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013