Cell signalling: Red alert about lipid's role in skin cancer.

Abstract

Some versions of the MC1R protein are associated with red hair and an increased risk of developing a skin cancer called melanoma. It emerges that a lipid that binds MC1R might provide a target to reduce this risk. See Letter p.399 People with red hair, fair skin and poor tanning ability have a higher risk of developing melanoma. They often carry variants of the melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R), which has a reduced capacity to induce pigmentation compared with the more common MCR1 forms. Rutao Cui and colleagues show how a modification called protein palmitoylation increases the ability of variant MCR1 to induce pigmentation in mice, and this is linked to reduced melanoma development. These findings may point to strategies for melanoma prevention, although it remains to be seen whether such an approach is practical.