During the past decade, melanins and melanogenesis have attracted growing interest for a
broad range of biomedical and technological applications. The burst of polydopamine …

The aim of this review is to provide a systematic overview on constitutively active G-protein-
coupled receptors (GPCRs), a rapidly evolving area in signal transduction research. We will …

Expression of Agouti protein is normally limited to the skin where it affects pigmentation, but
ubiquitous expression causes obesity. An expressed sequence tag was identified that …

The melanogenic actions of the melanocortins are mediated by the melanocortin‐1 receptor
(MC1R). MC1R is a member of the G‐protein‐coupled receptors (GPCR) superfamily …

The central melanocortin (MC) system has been demonstrated to act downstream of leptin in
the regulation of body weight. The system comprises α-MSH, which acts as agonist, and …

The melanocortin 1 receptor (MC 1R) is a G protein‐coupled receptor crucial for the
regulation of melanocyte proliferation and function. Upon binding melanocortins, MC 1R …

Agouti protein and Agouti-related protein (Agrp) are paracrine-signaling molecules that
normally regulate pigmentation and body weight, respectively. These proteins antagonize …

Human epidermal melanocytes play a central role in sensing the environment and
protecting the skin from the drastic effects of solar ultraviolet radiation and other …

The identification of an association between variants in the human melanocortin 1 receptor
(MC1R) gene and red hair and fair skin, as well as the relation between variants of this gene …

The melanocortins are a family of bioactive peptides derived from proopiomelanocortin, and
share significant structural similarity. Those peptides are best known for their stimulatory …