Selective proliferation of normal human melanocytes in vitro in the presence of phorbol ester and cholera toxin by Eisinger and Marko.

Melanocytes are pigment producing cells that arise from the neural crest and migrate to the skin early in fetal development. The pigment that melanocytes synthesize, melanin, plays a critical role in protecting the skin from mutagenic ultraviolet irradiation. Melanocytes are also precursor cells for melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer. Because melanocytes make up a minority population of cells in the epidermis they have been difficult to propagate in culture. The landmark paper by Eisinger and Marko, described below, was the first successful report of large scale propagation of pure cultures of melanocytes. This paper set the stage for an explosive growth in knowledge in the biology of human melanocytes and allowed scientists to begin dissecting the different oncogenic events involved in the transition of melanocytes to melanoma.