Sticky fingers at work: palmitoylation-dependent MC1R activation

Abstract

The melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) is a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) positively coupled to the cAMP pathway. MC1R is expressed in melanocytes, where it is critically involved in the cutaneous responses to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR). The current paradigm posits that UVR-induced DNA damage in skin keratinocytes activates expression of the POMC gene encoding for the precursor of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (αMSH). The resulting paracrine release of αMSH activates MC1R in melanocytes and switches the production of melanin pigments from basal pheomelanogenesis to synthesis of eumelanins.

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