melanocyte

[muh-lan-uh-sahyt, mel-uh-nuh-]

noun

Cell Biology.

1. a cell producing and containing melanin.

melanocyte

/ ˈmɛlənəʊˌsaɪt /

noun

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

melanocyte

1. An epidermal cell that synthesizes melanin.

Word History and Origins

Origin of melanocyte¹

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

Example Sentences

What the teams found was that in the cells responsible for giving a cat its skin, hair follicles and eyes their colour - melanocytes - one gene, ARHGAP36, was much more active.

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Using skin samples collected from variously colored cats, the researchers homed in on a mutation on the X chromosome that increases the amount of a protein called Arhgap36 only in pigment-producing cells called melanocytes.

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They began testing to see if it could benefit melanocytes, the skin cells that produce melanin, the dark pigment in question.

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Mutations that make Mc1r less active cause melanocytes to get “stuck” producing the light pigment.

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Melanoma arising from pigment-producing cells known as melanocytes is the deadliest form of skin cancer.

Read more on Science Daily