Cancers 2015, 7, 1586-1604; doi:10.3390/cancers7030852 cancersOPEN ACCESS ISSN 2072-6694 www.mdpi.com/journal/cancers Article Ultraviolet Radiation-Induced Cytogenetic Damage in White, Hispanic and Black Skin Melanocytes: A Risk for Cutaneous Melanoma Amrita Dasgupta 1 and Meena Katdare 1,2,* 1 Hampton University Skin of Color Research Institute, Hampton, VA 23668, USA; E-Mail:
[email protected] 2 Department of Dermatology, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA 23507, USA * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail:
[email protected]; Tel.: +1-646-853-4107. Academic Editor: Chyi-Chia Richard Lee Received: 6 June 2015 / Accepted: 10 August 2015 / Published: 14 August 2015 Abstract: Cutaneous Melanoma (CM) is a leading cause of cancer deaths, with reports indicating a rising trend in the incidence rate of melanoma among Hispanics in certain U.S. states. The level of melanin pigmentation in the skin is suggested to render photoprotection from the DNA-damaging effects of Ultraviolet Radiation (UVR). UVR-induced DNA damage leads to cytogenetic defects visualized as the formation of micronuclei, multinuclei and polymorphic nuclei in cells, and a hallmark of cancer risk. The causative relationship between Sun exposure and CM is controversial, especially in Hispanics and needs further evaluation. This study was initiated with melanocytes from White, Hispanic and Black neonatal foreskins which were exposed to UVR to assess their susceptibility to UVR-induced modulation of cellular growth, cytogenetic damage, intracellular and released melanin. Our results show that White and Hispanic skin melanocytes with similar levels of constitutive melanin are susceptible to UVR-induced cytogenetic damage, whereas Black skin melanocytes are not.