Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry https://doi.org/10.1007/s11010-019-03674-w Role of alpha‑melanocyte stimulating hormone (α‑MSH) in modulating the molecular mechanism adopted by melanocytes of Bos indicus under UVR stress Renuka Choudhary 1,2,4  · Anil Sharma 2  · Sudarshan Kumar 3  · Ramesh Chandra Upadhyay 1  · Sohan Vir Singh 1  · Ashok Mohanty 3 Received: 23 July 2019 / Accepted: 7 December 2019 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2019 Abstract Ultraviolet radiations (UVR) are responsible for a wide variety of acute and chronic efects on the animal skin. However, the efect of UVR-induced oxidative stress and protection through paracrine factors on animal skin has received little attention. We previously demonstrated how heat stress-induced adaptation in Bos indicus melanocytes was dependent on the level of melanin and reduction of apoptosis. Therefore, in the present investigation, the survival mechanisms adopted by melanocytes under UV stress and the role of α-MSH in cell survival under in vitro conditions were studied. After the treatment of melano- cyte cells with UVR (using Osram ultravitalux 300 W lamp), analysis of Gene expression using Real-Time PCR was done to study the adopted molecular pathways under stressful conditions. In addition, α-MSH was used to assess its modulating role in cell survival under stress. This study revealed the increase in the expression of genes related to melanogenesis, cell cycle, heat shock proteins, and apoptosis of the cells after UVR stress and demonstrated the role of paracrine factor (α-MSH) in elevating the protection response to stressful conditions like UVR stress by increasing the melanogenesis and decreasing the mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis. Based on the results of the present study, it can be stated that α-MSH can play a pivotal role in the protection of animal skin cells under stressful conditions in climate-changing scenario. Keywords α-MSH · Apoptosis · Bos indicus · Melanocyte · UVR stress Introduction Human-induced climate afecting activities are changing the environment, thereby afecting the domesticated livestock production, agricultural crops, and related management practices, which were developed over the past 10,000 years [1]. These changes are associated with unprecedented events Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s11010-019-03674-w) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * Renuka Choudhary rc_07@live.in * Sudarshan Kumar kumarsudershan@gmail.com Anil Sharma anibiotech18@gmail.com Ramesh Chandra Upadhyay upadhyay.ramesh@gmail.com Sohan Vir Singh Sohanvir2011@gmail.com Ashok Mohanty ashokmohanty1@gmail.com 1 Climate Resilient Livestock Research Centre, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana 132 001, India 2 Department of Biotechnology, Maharishi Markandeshwar Deemed to be University, Mullana, Haryana 133203, India 3 Animal Biotechnology Centre, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana 132 001, India 4 Present Address: Department of Biotechnology, Maharishi Markandeshwar Deemed to be University, Ambala, Haryana 133 203, India