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Melanosomes — dark organelles enlighten endosomal membrane transport

2007; Nature Portfolio; Volume: 8; Issue: 10 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1038/nrm2258

1471-0080

Graça Raposo, Michael S. Marks,

Retinal Development and Disorders

Recent studies on melanosome formation have provided insights into novel aspects of endosomal sorting that are involved in cell physiology, organelle biogenesis and amyloid formation. Genetic disorders that affect the formation of melanosomes and other lysosome-related organelles are revealing the molecular machinery that controls specialized sorting events. Melanosomes are tissue-specific lysosome-related organelles of pigment cells in which melanins are synthesized and stored. Analyses of the trafficking and fate of melanosomal components are beginning to reveal how melanosomes are formed through novel pathways from early endosomal intermediates. These studies unveil generalized structural and functional modifications of the endosomal system in specialized cells, and provide unexpected insights into the biogenesis of multivesicular bodies and how compartmentalization regulates protein refolding. Moreover, genetic disorders that affect the biogenesis of melanosomes and other lysosome-related organelles have shed light onto the molecular machinery that controls specialized endosomal sorting events.