Encapsulation of a reactive core in neuromelanin

摘要

Melanin pigments are found widely in animals and plants. Melanin's most conspicuous presence is on the surface of the body, where it serves to protect underlying tissues from harmful UV radiation and to camouflage the organism from enemies. Two chemically distinct types of melanin pigments are produced in the melanocytes of mammals and birds: the black-to-brown eumelanin and the yellow-to-reddish-brown pheomelanin. Biochemical pathways to these melanin pigments are now well clarified. Both pigments are derived from a common precursor, dopaquinone (DQ), which is formed from the amino acid tyrosine upon oxidation with a specialized enzyme, tyrosinase.