@article{oai:repo.qst.go.jp:00043472,
 author = {Hirobe, Tomohisa and Takeuchi, Sakae and Wakamatsu, Kazumasa and Ito, Shosuke and et.al and 廣部 知久},
 issue = {5},
 journal = {Pigment Cell Research},
 month = {Oct},
 note = {The present study was designed to clarify the role of the agouti gene in the regulation of the proliferation and differentiation of mouse epidermal melanocytes using serum-free primary culture system of epidermal melanocytes from 0.5-day-old black (a/a; C57BL/10JHir) mice and its congenic, agouti (A/A; C57BL/10JHir-A/A) mice. There was no significant difference in the proliferation and differentiation of melanocytes between a/a and A/A mice. However, content of pheomelanin in culture media from A/A melanocytes was increased by L-tyrosine compared with a/a melanocytes. In addition, content of pheomelanin precursor, 5-S-cysteinyldopa in culture media from A/A melanocytes was dramatically increased by L-tyrosine. Moreover, pheomelanin content in the epidermis from 3.5- and 5.5-day-old A/A mice was much higher than a/a mice. The analysis using reverse transcrition-polymerase chain reaction of the A gene revealed that cultured keratinocytes and melanocytes did not express the A gene. Moreover, the A gene was expressed in the A/A dermis of 0.5-, 3.5- and 5.5-day-old mice, but not in the a/a dermis as well as in the A/A and a/a epidermis. These results suggest that A/A epidermal melanoblasts are influenced by the A gene from the dermis of neonatal mice, and are capable of synthesizing pheomelanin in the culture. Pheomelanin production in the epidermis from 3.5- and 5.5-day-old A/A mice may be induced by the expression of the agouti gene in the dermis.},
 pages = {506--514},
 title = {Pheomelanin production in the epidermis from newborn agouti mice is induced by the expression of the agouti gene in the dermis},
 volume = {17},
 year = {2004}
}