Cited by 388Open Access
Hadassah Medical Center
Publishes on Cancer-related Molecular Pathways, Telomeres, Telomerase, and Senescence, Immune cells in cancer. 10 papers and 1k citations.
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Significance UV tanning is a common social behavior, which increases melanin production and pigmentation of the skin. UV irradiation is a standard treatment of depigmenting diseases such as vitiligo. However, recurrent UV irradiation is genotoxic and facilitates skin aging and cancer. Here, we identified a method of inducing hyperpigmentation by inhibition of casein kinase 1α (CK1α). UV tanning is induced through activation of p53, via the Pomc/α-MSH/Mc1r/Mitf pathway, but both Pomc and Mc1r function can be compromised by aging or allelic polymorphism. In contrast, inhibition of CK1α activates a different pathway, p53/KitL/Kit, and raises protective eumelanin without the procarcinogenic pheomelanin. Inhibition of CK1α is therefore expected to be an effective strategy for skin protection from sunlight and for treating depigmenting diseases.