Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42045571›Full record

ArticleNature cell biology2026

Somatic mutations distinguish melanocyte subpopulations in human skin.

Bishal Tandukar, Delahny Deivendran, Limin Chen, Neda Bahrani, Defne Baskurt, Beatrice Weier, Harsh Sharma, Noel Cruz-Pacheco, Min Hu, Kayla Marks and 8 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Nature cell biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

18 authors.

Bishal TandukarDepartment of Dermatology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Delahny DeivendranDepartment of Dermatology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3046-2906
Limin ChenDepartment of Dermatology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Neda BahraniDepartment of Dermatology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Defne BaskurtDepartment of Dermatology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Beatrice WeierDepartment of Dermatology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Harsh SharmaDepartment of Dermatology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Noel Cruz-PachecoDepartment of Dermatology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8989-7093
Min HuHuntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Kayla MarksHuntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Rebecca G ZitnayHuntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8911-9029
Aravind K BandariDepartment of Dermatology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Barbara Rentroia-PachecoDepartment of Dermatology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Rojina NekoonamDepartment of Dermatology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Boris C BastianDepartment of Dermatology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1836-6062
Iwei YehDepartment of Dermatology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Robert Judson-TorresHuntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6559-0553
A Hunter ShainDepartment of Dermatology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA. hunter.shain@ucsf.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2999-9706

Funding

Pre-cancer atlas of skin cancerU01CA294536 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI BASTIAN, BORIS C., SHAIN, ALAN HUNTER · 2024 to 2025
$5.2M
The genomic landscape and evolution of cutaneous squamous cell carcinomaR01CA265786 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI Alan Hunter Shain · 2022 to 2026
$2.1M
The mutational mechanisms shaping melanocytes in human skinR01AR080626 · NIAMS · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI Alan Hunter Shain · 2023 to 2026
$1.6M
Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA) Dermatology Fellows AwardNCI NIH HHS R01 CA265786NCI NIH HHS U01 CA294536NIAMS NIH HHS R01 AR080626U.S. Department of Defense (United States Department of Defense) ME210014
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Here, to understand the homeostatic mechanisms governing melanocytes, we interrogate the mutational landscapes, gene-expression profiles and morphological features of 297 clonal expansions of epidermal melanocytes from 31 donors. We show that a population of melanocytes with low mutation burden persists in sun-exposed epidermis. These cells are smaller, less dendritic, and exhibit stem-like expression profiles when compared to melanocytes carrying high mutation burdens. Using single-cell spatial transcriptomics, we show that melanocytes inferred to have low mutation burdens localize to both hair follicles and interfollicular epidermis, whereas melanocytes with high mutation burdens are largely restricted to epidermis. We propose that melanocytes in the hair follicle occupy a privileged niche, protected from ultraviolet radiation, but replenish the epidermis following photodamage. This study highlights the value of incorporating mutational information into cell atlases. Cells can change their positions over time, but mutations provide a historical record of processes that were operative on each cell.

Indexed as

MelanocytesMutationSkinEpidermisHair FollicleHumansSingle-Cell AnalysisUltraviolet Rays

Identifiers

PMID42045571
PMCPMC13264844

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.