= Melanosome
A <melanosome> is a specialized, membrane-bounded <organelle> in which <melanin> is synthesized and stored. <Melanocytes> produce <melanosomes>; pigment can subsequently be transferred to neighbouring <keratinocytes>. The <melanosome> is the compartment, whereas <melanin> is its pigment cargo. Maturation involves changes in internal organization as well as accumulation of pigment. <Molecular Biology of the Cell, 4th edition by Bruce Alberts and others>[Chapter 22, skin: melanocytes and pigment distribution]{ref}
An experiment connected that organization to a particular <protein>. Expression of <Pmel17> in nonpigmented <cells> produced internal striations resembling those of immature <melanosomes>, within multivesicular compartments. The result supported a structural role for <Pmel17> in constructing a scaffold before extensive pigment deposition. It did not show that expression of one <protein> produces every function of a mature <melanosome>. <Pmel17 initiates premelanosome morphogenesis within multivesicular bodies by Joanne F. Berson and others>[2001, abstract and Pmel17 expression experiments]{ref}
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