Isolation and culture of melanocytes from the arctic fox (Alopex lagopus)

Coat colour is a phenotypic marker of fur animal species, which was determined by the pigment generated from melanocytes. In this study, we developed and validated a method for isolation, purification and passage culture of melanocytes from the arctic fox ( Alopex lagopus ). Skin biopsies were harve...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Italian Journal of Animal Science
Main Authors: Jiarong Bao, Lei Wang, Guiwu Wang, Xueqing Liu, Fuhe Yang
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2015
Subjects:
PMA
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.4081/ijas.2015.4005
https://doaj.org/article/61a162f94bdc46bbb69d4216f33d64d9
Description
Summary:Coat colour is a phenotypic marker of fur animal species, which was determined by the pigment generated from melanocytes. In this study, we developed and validated a method for isolation, purification and passage culture of melanocytes from the arctic fox ( Alopex lagopus ). Skin biopsies were harvested from the dorsal region of adult foxes and enzyme digestion by Dispase II. The primary culture of melanocytes from arctic fox skin was obtained by using keratinocyte serum-free medium supplemented with epidermal growth factor and bovine pituitary extract with/without phorbol- 12-myristate-13-acetate, and by carrying out a medium change strategy. After serial passages, it yielded pure population of melanocytes, which become efficient tools for investigating the function of colour genes and unraveling the process of melanin synthesis.