ACTA VETERINARIA ET ZOOTECHNICA SINICA ›› 2017, Vol. 48 ›› Issue (1): 83-90.doi: 10.11843/j.issn.0366-6964.2017.01.010

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Study on Hair Melanin Content and Distribution of Skin Mature Melanocytes in Mink(Neovison vison)

SONG Xing-chao, XU Chao, LIU Lin-ling, LIU Zong-yue, YANG Tong-ao,CONG Bo, YUE Zhi-gang, YANG Fu-he*   

  1. (State Key Laboratory of Special Economic Animal Molecular Biology, Institute of Special Animal and Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun 130112, China)
  • Received:2016-04-18 Online:2017-01-23 Published:2017-01-23

Abstract:

The melanin content of hair and distribution characteristics of mature melanocytes in skin of mink with different coat colors were analyzed and observed, which will provide theoretical basis for futher study on regulatory mechanism of mink coat color. The content of total melanin (TM), eumelanin (EM) and pheomelanin (PM) in hair, which were collected from Jinzhou black, Silver Blue and Jilin White mink in molting and pelting periods, respectively, were determined by microplate assay with sepia as standard sample. Toluidine blue, dopa and dopa with toluidine blue staining were conducted to observe the distribution of skin mature melanocytes. The results showed that the content of TM and PM from black hair in pelting period were 1.17 and 1.20 times (P<0.01) than that of molting period, and the value of EM was higher than that of molting period (P<0.05). There were not different for the content of TM, EM and PM in gray hair (P>0.05) between the two periods. The content of TM and PM from white hair in pelting period were 1.27 and 1.22 times (P<0.05) than that of molting period. Histological staining revealed that the mature melanocytes were distributed both in skin with black and gray hair. In the skin of black hair, a large number of pigment granules were distributed at epidemis and the top of hair follicle and a few positive staining band was in the outer root sheath and medulla. There was less dopa-positive band at epidemis and the top of hair follicle in mink skin with gray hair. Moreover, the positive staining of the outer root sheath in skin with gray hair was weaker than that of black. However, there was not obvious dopa-positive staining area in mink skin with white hair. Results of the present study indicated that the formation of gray and white hair were related with the content of PM. The mature melanocytes at the top of hair follicle might be the main cytological basis of hair pigmentation in mink.

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