Melanocyte Cell States Defined and Visualized in Developing Mouse Skin
TLDR Researchers found three types of melanocytes in developing mouse skin, each with different genes and locations.
The study "1229 Melanocyte cell states defined and visualized in developing mouse skin" used single-cell RNA sequencing to analyze 821 melanocytes during stages of skin development in mice. The researchers identified three distinct cell states of melanocytes: less differentiated (LD), differentiated (D), and terminally differentiated (TD). LD melanocytes, which prominently expressed cell migration genes, were found in the dermis and hair follicle bulbs. D melanocytes were located in the hair follicle bulge, while TD melanocytes were in the hair follicle bulb. These cell states were present as early as E14.5 for LD and D melanocytes, and by E16.5 for TD melanocytes. This research provides a transcriptional definition and location of mouse melanocytes at a single cell level, which can be used to understand abnormal melanocyte differentiation in mouse mutants.
