Tradition of pigment cell research at Charles University in Prague.

Cell Mol Biol (Noisy-le-grand)

2nd Department of Biochemistry, 1st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.

Published: November 1999

A short review on the history of pigment cell research at Charles University (Ch.U.) in Prague is presented. The famous Czech physiologist and professor J.E. Purkyne started the pigment cell research at Ch.U. already in 1837. He discovered melanin granules in the cells of substantia nigra of the brain. Later, in 1858, a Czech professor of medicine at Ch.U., B. Eiselt, as the first, described melanogenuria in 3 patients with generalized melanoma. Also some German professors at Ch.U. contributed to the research of melanins and melanogenuria in the past, especially H. Waelsch (1932). After the World War II, a Czech professor of medical chemistry at Ch.U., A.F. Richter with his young assistant J. Duchon continued in the chemical exploration of melanins (1954) and J.D. with Z. Pechan, B. Matous and S. Pavel devoted their attention to melanogenuria in melanoma patients (1962-1980). In 1967 they identified 2 new metabolites in melanoma urine: 5-hydroxy-6-methoxy and 6-hydroxy-5-methoxy-indole-2-carboxylic acids. J. Duchon with J. Borovanský and P. Hach also studied morphology and chemical composition of different melanosomes (1972-1979) and brought the first evidence that melanosomes consist of several proteins (1972). In 1980's 4 groups devoted to the pigment cell research and originated from Ch.U. were formed. The groups of J.B., of B.M. and of J. Vachtenheim in Prague and the group of S.P. who moved to the Netherlands (Leiden). As for the clinical aspects of the pigment cell research, the s.c. Hermanský-Pudlák syndrome published in 1959 and the histopathological classification of malignant melanomas estimated by J. Trapl (1957), should be mentioned. Therefore it is not surprising that, as a result of the tradition of pigment cell research at Ch.U., the 3rd European Workshop on Melanin Pigmentation was held in Prague already in 1981 and that, in 1998 again, Ch.U. was entrusted with the arrangement of the 8th Meeting of the European Society for Pigment Cell Research at the occasion of the Ch.U. 650th anniversary.

Download full-text PDF

Source

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

pigment cell
28
chu
9
tradition pigment
8
cell charles
8
charles university
8
cell chu
8
czech professor
8
cell
7
pigment
6
prague
4

Similar Publications

A preclinical study on effect of betanin on sodium fluoride induced hepatorenal toxicity in wistar rats.

J Complement Integr Med

January 2025

Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India.

Background: Excessive fluoride exposure leads to increased oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation, causing harmful effects on the metabolic organs in the human body. Betanin, a pigment obtained from beetroot, is seen to have powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. The study was conducted to determine the role of betanin in fluoride induced hepato-renal toxicity in Wistar rats.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Basic Science and Pathogenesis.

Alzheimers Dement

December 2024

Ecole polytechnique - CNRS UMR7654, Palaiseau, Ile-de-France, France; Université Paris Cité - Inserm UMR-S1124, Paris, Ile-de-France, France.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common dementia in humans that today concerns 50 million individuals worldwide and will affect more than 100 million people in 2050. Except for familial AD cases (<5% of AD patients) for which AD pathology connects to mutations in critical genes involved in the processing of the amyloid precursor protein into neurotoxic Aß peptides, it remains unknown what provokes the overproduction and deposition of Aß peptides in the brain of sporadic AD cases (>95% of AD patients). Some nanosized materials, e.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a pressing global health concern, particularly among the elderly population. Early detection and intervention are vital for effective management. Recent research has identified the Locus Corelulus (LC) as one of the initial sites of pathology in AD, characterized by the degeneration of norepinephrine (NE) producing cells, resulting in cognitive and mood disturbances.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Malignant Transformation of a Choroidal Nevus.

Cureus

December 2024

Department of Ophthalmology, Xi'an No. 3 Hospital, the Affiliated Hospital of Northwest University, Xi'an, CHN.

Choroidal nevus is the most common intraocular tumor, and most cases are benign and have no symptoms. However, choroidal nevus carries a low risk for transformation into melanoma, which is a highly aggressive and deadly cancer. In this case report, we present a male patient with blurred vision in his left eye for six months.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Screening of Plant UDP-Glycosyltransferases for Betanin Production in Yeast.

Appl Biochem Biotechnol

January 2025

The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kemitorvet Building 220, 2800, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.

To cover the rising demand for natural food dyes, new sources and production methods are needed. Microbial fermentation of nature-identical colours, such as the red pigment betanin, has the potential to be a cost-efficient alternative to plant extraction. The last step of betanin production is catalysed by a UDP-glycosyltransferase (UGT).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!