Over the past several years, a number of scientific papers have been published that suggest the skin pigmentation process can be fully mapped by following the cellular pathways and the molecules involved in melanogenesis.
Indeed, it has been known for years that epidermal units within the skin generally serve to produce and distribute melanin; however, the regulatory process that controls pigmentation is only now coming into view. Understanding the regulatory pathways to melanogenesis will help the cosmetics industry in their effort to develop safe and effective strategies to temporarily brighten skin tone for cosmetic effects.
Epigenetics is a process that leads to stable and heritable changes in gene expression without changes in the underlying DNA sequences. A new area of study, epigenetics science opens the door to the discovery of melanin regulation. The research effort finds its roots in the medical community, where it is postulated that new approaches to treating cancer other than fixing or replacing damaged genes may also help to improve patient outcomes.
The opening for epigenetic science began about 25 years ago after scientists discovered a distinct class of biologic regulators called miRNA. These small noncoding ribonucleic acids serve to fine tune the expression of approximately 30% of all protein-encoding genes. The miRNA usually induces gene silencing by binding to messenger RNA (mRNA). The interaction of a miRNA and its mRNA targets tends to prevent protein production by suppressing mRNA translation and/or by prompting mRNA degradation.
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