INVITATIONAL PAPER: MELANOMA FORMATION IN FISH OF THE GENUS XIPHOPHORUS: A GENETICALLY-BASED DISORDER IN THE DETERMINATION AND DIFFERENTIATION OF A SPECIFIC PIGMENT CELL

Abstract

The formation of melanomas in Xiphophorus can be interpreted as a disorder in such fundamental biological processes as the determination and differentiation of cells. This disorder can be induced by outcrossing or by the mutation of genes that control these processes. In general, the conclusions drawn from the study of the development of a special pigment cell type in fish might be valid for many other tumors and might help us to understand the mechanisms leading to cancer in man.