The chemical reactions and pathways resulting in the formation of precursor metabolites, substances from which energy is derived, and any process involved in the liberation of energy from these substances.

The chemical reactions and pathways resulting in the formation of precursor metabolites, substances from which energy is derived, and any process involved in the liberation of energy from these substances.

The cellular process in which a signal is conveyed to trigger a change in the activity or state of a cell. Signal transduction begins with reception of a signal (e.g. a ligand binding to a receptor or receptor activation by a stimulus such as light), or for signal transduction in the absence of ligand, signal-withdrawal or the activity of a constitutively active receptor. Signal transduction ends with regulation of a downstream cellular process, e.g. regulation of transcription or regulation of a metabolic process. Signal transduction covers signaling from receptors located on the surface of the cell and signaling via molecules located within the cell. For signaling between cells, signal transduction is restricted to events at and within the receiving cell.

Any process that mediates the transfer of information from one cell to another. This process includes signal transduction in the receiving cell and, where applicable, release of a ligand and any processes that actively facilitate its transport and presentation to the receiving cell. Examples include signaling via soluble ligands, via cell adhesion molecules and via gap junctions.

Feeding behavior in a fully developed and mature organism.

Feeding behavior in a fully developed and mature organism.

The directed movement of melanosomes into, out of or within a cell, or between cells, by means of some agent such as a transporter or pore.

A process that is carried out at the cellular level which results in the assembly, arrangement of constituent parts, or disassembly of a melanosome. A melanosome is a tissue-specific, membrane-bounded cytoplasmic organelle within which melanin pigments are synthesized and stored.

Any heritable epigenetic process that modulates the frequency, rate or extent of protein function by self-perpetuating conformational conversions of normal proteins in healthy cells. This is distinct from, though mechanistically analogous to, disease states associated with prion propagation and amyloidogenesis. A single protein, if it carries a glutamine/asparagine-rich ('prion') domain, can sometimes stably exist in at least two distinct physical states, each associated with a different phenotype; propagation of one of these traits is achieved by a self-perpetuating change in the protein from one form to the other, mediated by conformational changes in the glutamine/asparagine-rich domain. Prion domains are both modular and transferable to other proteins, on which they can confer a heritable epigenetic alteration of function; existing bioinformatics data indicate that they are rare in non-eukarya, but common in eukarya.

The chemical reactions and pathways resulting in the formation of melanins, pigments largely of animal origin. High molecular weight polymers of indole quinone, they are irregular polymeric structures and are divided into three groups: allomelanins in the plant kingdom and eumelanins and phaeomelanins in the animal kingdom.

The accumulation of pigment in an organism, tissue or cell, either by increased deposition or by increased number of cells.

Any process that activates or increases the rate or extent of the chemical reactions and pathways resulting in the formation of melanin.

Any process that modulates the frequency, rate or extent of the chemical reactions and pathways involving macromolecules by a mechanism that is mediated by DNA, is mitotically or meiotically heritable, or is stably self-propagated in the cytoplasm of a resting cell, and does not entail a change in DNA sequence.

That part of a multicellular organism outside the cells proper, usually taken to be outside the plasma membranes, and occupied by fluid.