Melanocytes — Figure 3
Figure 3. A schematic diagram of the formation of a melanosome. The matrix proteins (MP) as well as tyrosinase (T), the major enzyme in the melanin biosynthetic pathway (see Figure 4), are synthesized on the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER). Tyrosinase undergoes post translational modification in the form of glycosylation in the Golgi apparatus. Fusion of premelanosomes with coated vesicles containing tyrosinase result in the formation of the melanosome. As more melanin is deposited within the melanosome, it migrates into one of the dendrites of the melanocyte in anticipation of transfer to a neighboring keratinocyte.
