Biochemistry and Mechanisms of Melanogenesis

Dear Colleagues,

Melanin is one of the most abundant phenolic biopolymers arising from the aromatic amino acid tyrosine and its derivatives. Melanins are heterogeneous in nature and ubiquitously found in microorganisms, fungi, plants, and animals. Plants and fungi make allomelanin while animals produce pheomelanin, eumelanin, and neuromelanin. This heterogeneity confers different physiological functions: In animals, melanin pigments offer the skin, hair, eye and coat color. In arthropods, they participate in defense reactions and innate immunity. Similarly, fungi and plants produce melanin in response to invasion and environmental stress. The yellow to red pheomelanin pigment found in animals is formed by the oxidative polymerization of cysteinyldopa derivatives produced by the condensation of tyrosinase-generated dopaquinone with the amino acid cysteine. The brown to black eumelanin pigment is generated by the oxidative polymerization of dihydroxyindoles formed from the oxidative cyclization of dopa, dopamine, and related compounds. Neuromelanin found in the animal brain tissue is produced by the oxidative polymerization of dopamine derivatives.

Due to their wide distribution and importance in many physiological processes, studies on the biosynthesis and the structure of melanins have been thoroughly examined by numerous research groups throughout the world for many decades.  Following the pioneering work of Raper and Mason, who initially established a general scheme of reactions leading to biosynthesis of melanin, several important contributions have been made in this field. In this Special Issue, research papers and authoritative review articles covering the progress made in all aspects of the biochemistry of melanin will be included. In addition, articles related to the reactivities of all intermediates and their biochemistry will be covered.

Prof. Dr. Manickam Sugumaran
Guest Editor

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