Summary
The origin of the melanosome in the pigment epithelium of the chick embryo was studied by electron microscopy and cytochemistry of tyrosinase. The melanosome appears first at stage 16 in the dorso-caudal region of the optic cup and the first appearance of the tyrosinase activity can also be detected at the same stage in Golgi sac. At the early stages, premelanosomes and amorphous, electron dense granules which are considered to be the developing premelanosomes appear as a group at the basal region of the outer layer cell. The membrane of these granules is connected with that of ER. Attention should be paid to the fact that there are tyrosinase-negative premelanosomes, even when Golgi sac and Golgi vesicles are tyrosinase-positive. According to these facts it can be said that the site of origin of premelanosomes are not Golgi vesicles, but the smooth-surfaced ER connected with the rough-surfaced ER, and that the tyrosinase is transported to premelanosomes by tyrosinase-containing vesicles which originate from matured Golgi sac.
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The author is grateful to Prof. Dr. Junnosuke Nakai for his encouragement and valuable suggestions. Thanks are also due to Prof. Dr. Eichi Yamada and Prof. Dr. Shiro Igarashi for their comments on the electron-microscopic study.
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Ide, C. The development of melanosomes in the pigment epithelium of the chick embryo. Z.Zellforsch 131, 171–186 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00306925
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00306925