Understanding the Pathways Regulating the Production of Melanin to Conceptualize New Treatments (For Professionals)

• The authors constructed the molecular regulatory network of melanogenesis by focusing on 2 pathways:

1. paracrine factor-mediated signaling pathway
2. Microphthalmia-associated transcription factor-related pathway

• By reviewing the literature, the authors established a “Boolean network model” that describes the dynamical characteristics of the network:
  • Molecules which would decrease pigmentation: CREB, MITF protein, MITF active, GSK3B, CAMP, AC, PKA, Gprotein.
  • Molécules which would increase pigmentation: DSH, FZ.
• They experimentally validated the skin lightening effect of these targets through chemical inhibition such as with beta-catenin inhibitors.
• Comment: This very interesting poster cenceptualizes (mathematically calculated) targets of skin lightening treatments which would have no regulatory effect on  the viability of the  keratinocytes or melanocytes.

Contributors:

Dr Christophe HSU – dermatologist. Geneva, Switzerland

Source de l’Information: H Lee,1,2 M Goh,3 J Kim,1 T Choi,1 H Lee,3 Y Na3 and K Cho1,2 1Lab. for Systems Biology and Bio-Inspired Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon, Republic of Korea, 2Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon, Republic of Korea and 3Skin Research Institute, Amorepacific R&D Center, Yongin, Republic of Korea. Systems biological identification of effective and safe molecular targets for skin lightening. International Investigative Dermatology (IID) 2013 – Edinburgh, United Kingdom