Certified Electronic Health Records Specialist (CEHRS) Practice Exam

What is melanin responsible for?

1. The development of bones

2. The major skin pigment

3. Muscle growth

4. The repair of connective tissue

The correct answer is: The major skin pigment

Melanin is primarily responsible for determining the color of the skin, hair, and eyes in humans and other organisms. It is a natural pigment produced by melanocytes, which are specialized cells found in the skin. The amount and type of melanin present in these cells dictate the variability in skin tones. Higher concentrations of melanin typically result in darker skin, which provides some protection against the harmful effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun. This protective role, along with its involvement in skin pigmentation, emphasizes the importance of melanin in human biology. The other options describe functions unrelated to melanin. For example, bone development is primarily influenced by minerals such as calcium and phosphate, and muscle growth involves proteins and hormones rather than pigments. Repair of connective tissue is a function of specialized cells and proteins in that system, not melanin. These distinctions help clarify the unique role of melanin in the body.