melanoblastn.
/ˈmɛlənə(ʊ)blɑːst/, /ˈmɛlənə(ʊ)blast/, /mᵻˈlanə(ʊ)blɑːst/, /mᵻˈlanə(ʊ)blast/, U.S. /ˈmɛlənoʊˌblæst/, /məˈlænəˌblæst/ Physiology.
A cell of neural crest origin that develops into a melanocyte. Formerly also: a melanocyte (now rare, perhaps obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > biology > substance > cell > types of cells > [noun] > pigment cells
colour cell1841
chromatophore1864
chromatocyte1888
melanocyte1890
melanoblast1902
1902 C. Watson Encycl. Medica XI. 182 Ehrmann.., from his investigations of amphibians and reptiles, concludes that the epithelial colouring matter is elaborated in special connective tissue corpuscles (chromatoblasts or melanoblasts), from material derived from the red blood corpuscles.
1942 G. H. Bourne Cytol. & Cell Physiol. viii. 329 A spread of melanin formation from the melanoblasts to similar but non-pigmented dendritic cells of the white area of the skin.
1953 Science 5 June 640/1 The term melanoblast is used by medical investigators for the mature cell elaborating melanin, whereas in biology the term melanoblast refers to an immature pigment cell during its migration from the neural crest.
1990 EMBO Jrnl. 9 2819/1 The main pigment-synthesizing cells are the melanocytes, which are derived from melanocyte precursor cells (melanoblasts) that migrate from the neural crest into hair follicles in the skin and the uveal layer of the eye.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2001; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
<
n.1902