ArticleAmerican journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council
Barrier requirements as the evolutionary "driver" of epidermal pigmentation in humans.
Article in American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers.
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Who cites it
28 citing papers in PubMed, 59 citations in OpenAlex.
- Dark Skin Evolution in Early Humans: Revisiting the Skin Cancer Hypothesis Through Migration-Related Mismatch.Molecular biology and evolution · 2026Review
- Computational histology reveals that concomitant application of insect repellent with sunscreen impairs UV protection in an ex vivo human skin model.Parasites & vectors · 2025Article
- Serotonin/5-HT7 receptor provides an adaptive signal to enhance pigmentation response to environmental stressors through cAMP-PKA-MAPK, Rab27a/RhoA, and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways.FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology · 2023Article
- Neuroendocrine signaling in the skin with a special focus on the epidermal neuropeptides.American journal of physiology. Cell physiology · 2022Review
- Melasma: The need for tailored photoprotection to improve clinical outcomes.Photodermatology, photoimmunology & photomedicine · 2022Review
- Review
- Laundry detergent promotes allergic skin inflammation and esophageal eosinophilia in mice.PloS one · 2022Article
- The evolution of human skin pigmentation involved the interactions of genetic, environmental, and cultural variables.Pigment cell & melanoma research · 2021Review
- Measurement of Melanin Metabolism in Live Cells by [U-The Journal of investigative dermatology · 2021Article
- Characterization of serotonin and N-acetylserotonin systems in the human epidermis and skin cells.Journal of pineal research · 2020Article
- Evolution, Prehistory and Vitamin D.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Review
- By protecting against cutaneous inflammation, epidermal pigmentation provided an additional advantage for ancestral humans.Evolutionary applications · 2019Article
- Facial skin mapping: from single point bio-instrumental evaluation to continuous visualization of skin hydration, barrier function, skin surface pH, and sebum in different ethnic skin types.International journal of cosmetic science · 2019Review
- Melatonin, mitochondria, and the skin.Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS · 2017Review
- The colours of humanity: the evolution of pigmentation in the human lineage.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2017Review
- The vitamin D hypothesis: Dead or alive?: Response to Dr. William Grant's "The UVB-vitamin D3-pigment hypothesis is alive and well-AJPA-2016-00237".American journal of physical anthropology · 2016Article
- Stress-related skin disorders.Reviews in endocrine & metabolic disorders · 2016Review
- Skin Pigmentation and Pigmentary Disorders: Focus on Epidermal/Dermal Cross-Talk.Annals of dermatology · 2016Review
- Basis for enhanced barrier function of pigmented skin.The Journal of investigative dermatology · 2014Article
- Cutaneous glucocorticosteroidogenesis: securing local homeostasis and the skin integrity.Experimental dermatology · 2014Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Current explanations for the development of epidermal pigmentation during human evolution are not tenable as stand-alone hypotheses. Accordingly, we assessed instead whether xeric- and UV-B-induced stress to the epidermal permeability barrier, critical to survival in a terrestrial environment, could have "driven" the development of epidermal pigmentation. (1) Megadroughts prevailed in central Africa when hominids expanded into open savannahs [approximately 1.5-0.8 million years ago], resulting in sustained exposure to both extreme aridity and erythemogenic UV-B, correlating with genetic evidence that pigment developed approximately 1.2 million years ago. (2) Pigmented skin is endowed with enhanced permeability barrier function, stratum corneum integrity/cohesion, and a reduced susceptibility to infections. The enhanced function of pigmented skin can be attributed to the lower pH of the outer epidermis, likely due to the persistence of (more-acidic) melanosomes into the outer epidermis, as well as the conservation of genes associated with eumelanin synthesis and melanosome acidification (e.g., TYR, OCA2 [p protein], SLC24A5, SLC45A2, MATP) in pigmented populations. Five keratinocyte-derived signals (stem cell factor-->KIT; FOXn1-->FGF2; IL-1alpha, NGF, and p53) are potential candidates to have stimulated the sequential development of epidermal pigmentation in response to stress to the barrier. We summarize evidence here that epidermal interfollicular pigmentation in early hominids likely evolved in response to stress to the permeability barrier.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.