Melanosomal Proteins – Role in Melanin Polymerization

Melanin, the major determinant of skin colour, is a tyrosine‐based heteropolymer of indeterminate molecular weight. In vivo, melanin synthesis occurs within highly specialized organelles called melanosomes. Coated vesicles encapsulating the enzyme tyrosinase and tyrosinase related proteins, fuse with premelanosomes that contain structural proteins to form mature melanosomes. Coated vesicles and premelanosomes have been shown to have only melanin monomers but not the polymer. Our earlier results have clearly shown that the presence of proteins other than tyrosinase are critical for the post‐tyrosinase steps of melanin polymerization at acidic pH. Proteins in melanosomes are difficult to purify because of their firm association with melanin. Thus, with progressive melanization, melanoproteins become progressively insoluble. In this paper, we discuss the isolation and purification of melanosomal proteins and their role in melanin polymerization. We have hypothesized that the initiation of polymerization and the binding of melanin to proteins are two discrete events and we have developed assays to quantify these events. Purified melanosomal proteins differ in their ability to polymerize melanin monomers. Further, we have also shown that two polypeptides (28 and 45 kDa) purified from melanosomes inhibit melanin polymerization but can bind preformed melanin. In conclusion, melanosomal proteins regulate melanin polymerization and differ in their ability to bind melanin. Polymerization and binding abilities of melanosomal proteins are specific to each protein and melanin–protein interaction is not nonspecific.     

Melanosomal proteins--role in melanin polymerization

Melanin, the major determinant of skin colour, is a tyrosine-based heteropolymer of indeterminate molecular weight. In vivo, melanin synthesis occurs within highly specialized organelles called melanosomes. Coated vesicles encapsulating the enzyme tyrosinase and tyrosinase related proteins, fuse with premelanosomes that contain structural proteins to form mature melanosomes. Coated vesicles and premelanosomes have been shown to have only melanin monomers but not the polymer. Our earlier results have clearly shown that the presence of proteins other than tyrosinase are critical for the post-tyrosinase steps of melanin polymerization at acidic pH. Proteins in melanosomes are difficult to purify because of their firm association with melanin. Thus, with progressive melanization, melanoproteins become progressively insoluble. In this paper, we discuss the isolation and purification of melanosomal proteins and their role in melanin polymerization. We have hypothesized that the initiation of polymerization and the binding of melanin to proteins are two discrete events and we have developed assays to quantify these events. Purified melanosomal proteins differ in their ability to polymerize melanin monomers. Further, we have also shown that two polypeptides (28 and 45 kDa) purified from melanosomes inhibit melanin polymerization but can bind preformed melanin. In conclusion, melanosomal proteins regulate melanin polymerization and differ in their ability to bind melanin. Polymerization and binding abilities of melanosomal proteins are specific to each protein and melanin-protein interaction is not nonspecific.     

Slc45a2 and V‐ATPase are regulators of melanosomal pH homeostasis in zebrafish,providing a mechanism for human pigment evolution and disease

We present here the positional cloning of the Danio rerio albino mutant and show that the affected gene encodes Slc45a2. The human orthologous gene has previously been shown to be involved in human skin color variation, and mutations therein have been implicated in the disease OCA4. Through ultrastructural analysis of the melanosomes in albino alleles as well as the tyrosinase‐deficient mutant sandy, we add new insights into the role of Slc45a2 in the production of melanin. To gain further understanding of the role of Slc45a2 and its possible interactions with other proteins involved in melanization, we further analyzed the role of the V‐ATPase as a melanosomal acidifier. We show that it is possible to rescue the melanization potential of the albino melanosomes through genetic and chemical inhibition of V‐ATPase, thereby increasing internal melanosome pH.     

Melanosomal pH controls rate of melanogenesis, eumelanin/phaeomelanin ratio and melanosome maturation in melanocytes and melanoma cells.

The skin pigment melanin is produced in melanocytes in highly specialized organelles known as melanosomes. Melanosomes are related to the organelles of the endosomal/lysosomal pathway and can have a low internal pH. In the present study we have shown that melanin synthesis in human pigment cell lysates is maximal at pH 6.8. We therefore investigated the role of intramelanosomal pH as a possible control mechanism for melanogenesis. To do this we examined the effect of neutralizing melanosomal pH on tyrosinase activity and melanogenesis in 11 human melanocyte cultures and in 3 melanoma lines. All melanocyte cultures (9 of 9) from Caucasian skin as well as two melanoma cell lines with comparable melanogenic activity showed rapid (within 24 h) increases in melanogenesis in response to neutralization of melanosomal pH. Chemical analysis of total melanin indicated a preferential increase in eumelanin production. Electron microscopy revealed an accumulation of melanin and increased maturation of melanosomes in response to pH neutralization. In summary, our findings show that: (i) near neutral melanosomal pH is optimal for human tyrosinase activity and melanogenesis; (ii) melanin production in Caucasian melanocytes is suppressed by low melanosomal pH; (iii) the ratio of eumelanin/phaeomelanin production and maturation rate of melanosomes can be regulated by melanosomal pH. We conclude that melanosomal pH is an essential factor which regulates multiple stages of melanin production. Furthermore, since we have recently identified that pink locus product (P protein) mediates neutralization of melanosomal pH, we propose that P protein is a key control point for skin pigmentation. We would further propose that the wide variations in both constitutive and facultative skin pigmentation seen in the human population could be associated with the high degree of P-locus polymorphism.     

Melanosomal proteins promote melanin polymerization

In melanocytes, enzymes involved in the generation of melanin monomers are present and active in coated vesicles which are known to be acidic. Melanin polymerization however, occurs only in melanosomes. In vitro, it is not possible to generate melanin at the acidic pH of melanosomes using 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) and tyrosinase alone whereas melanin readily forms at higher pH with these reagents. Dimerization and elongation of the melanin polymer is known to require deprotonation. We have hypothesized that the amino acid side chains of melanosomal proteins act as proton acceptors to initiate polymerization and that the protonated basic groups serve to attract the negatively charged oligomers thus aiding polymerization and binding to proteins. We show that basic model proteins and basic premelanosomal proteins promote polymerization at an acidic pH and that positively charged surfaces allow binding of the growing melanin polymer. With progressive polymerization and exhaustion of the proton abstracting ability of melanosomal proteins, melanosomal pH drops further, which, we argue, is an additional controlling step that limits tyrosinase activity and melanin polymerization.     

SLC45A2 protein stability and regulation of melanosome pH determine melanocyte pigmentation

SLC45A2 encodes a putative transporter expressed primarily in pigment cells. SLC45A2 mutations cause oculocutaneous albinism type 4 (OCA4) and polymorphisms are associated with pigmentation variation, but the localization, function, and regulation of SLC45A2 and its variants remain unknown. We show that SLC45A2 localizes to a cohort of mature melanosomes that only partially overlaps with the cohort expressing the chloride channel OCA2. SLC45A2 expressed ectopically in HeLa cells localizes to lysosomes and raises lysosomal pH, suggesting that in melanocytes SLC45A2 expression, like OCA2 expression, results in the deacidification of maturing melanosomes to support melanin synthesis. Interestingly, OCA2 overexpression compensates for loss of SLC45A2 expression in pigmentation. Analyses of SLC45A2- and OCA2-deficient mouse melanocytes show that SLC45A2 likely functions later during melanosome maturation than OCA2. Moreover, the light skin-associated SLC45A2 allelic F374 variant restores only moderate pigmentation to SLC45A2-deficient melanocytes due to rapid proteasome-dependent degradation resulting in lower protein expression levels in melanosomes than the dark skin-associated allelic L374 variant. Our data suggest that SLC45A2 maintains melanosome neutralization that is initially orchestrated by transient OCA2 activity to support melanization at late stages of melanosome maturation, and that a common allelic variant imparts reduced activity due to protein instability.     

Inulavosin and its benzo‐derivatives,melanogenesis inhibitors,target the copper loading mechanism to the active site of tyrosinase

Tyrosinase, a melanosomal membrane protein containing copper, is a key enzyme for melanin synthesis in melanocytes. Inulavosin inhibits melanogenesis by enhancing a degradation of tyrosinase in lysosomes. However, the mechanism by which inulavosin redirects tyrosinase to lysosomes is yet unknown. The analyses of structure–activity relationship of inulavosin and its benzo‐derivatives reveal that the hydroxyl and the methyl groups play a critical role in their inhibitory activity. Intriguingly, the docking studies to tyrosinase suggest that the compounds showing inhibitory activity bind through hydrophobic interactions to the cavity of tyrosinase below which the copper‐binding sites are located. This cavity is proposed to be required for the association with a chaperon that assists in copper loading to tyrosinase in Streptomyces antibioticus. Inulavosin and its benzo‐derivatives may compete with the copper chaperon and result in a lysosomal mistargeting of apo‐tyrosinase that has a conformational defect.     

Assembly, target-signaling and intracellular transport of tyrosinase gene family proteins in the initial stage of melanosome biogenesis

Assembly, target-signaling and transport of tyrosinase gene family proteins at the initial stage of melanosome biogenesis are reviewed based on our own discoveries. Melanosome biogenesis involves four stages of maturation with distinct morphological and biochemical characteristics that reflect distinct processes of the biosynthesis of structural and enzymatic proteins, subsequent structural organization and melanin deposition occurring in these particular cellular compartments. The melanosomes share many common biological properties with the lysosomes. The stage I melanosomes appear to be linked to the late endosomes. Most of melanosomal proteins are glycoproteins that should be folded or assembled correctly in the ER through interaction with calnexin, a chaperone associated with melanogenesis. These melanosomal glycoproteins are then accumulated in the trans Golgi network (TGN) and transported to the melanosomal compartment. During the formation of transport vesicles, coat proteins assemble on the cytoplasmic face of TGN to select their cargos by interacting directly or indirectly with melanosomal glycoproteins to be transported. Adapter protein-3 (AP-3) is important for intracellular transport of tyrosinase gene family proteins from TGN to melanosomes. Tyrosinase gene family proteins possess a di-leucine motif in their cytoplasmic tail, to which AP-3 appears to bind. Thus, the initial cascade of melanosome biogenesis is regulated by several factors including: 1) glycosylation of tyrosinase gene family proteins and their correct folding and assembly within ER and Golgi, and 2) supply of specific signals necessary for intracellular transport of these glycoproteins by vesicles from Golgi to melanosomes.     

Assembly,Target‐Signaling and Intracellular Transport of Tyrosinase Gene Family Proteins in the Initial Stage of Melanosome Biogenesis

Assembly, target‐signaling and transport of tyrosinase gene family proteins at the initial stage of melanosome biogenesis are reviewed based on our own discoveries. Melanosome biogenesis involves four stages of maturation with distinct morphological and biochemical characteristics that reflect distinct processes of the biosynthesis of structural and enzymatic proteins, subsequent structural organization and melanin deposition occurring in these particular cellular compartments. The melanosomes share many common biological properties with the lysosomes. The stage I melanosomes appear to be linked to the late endosomes. Most of melanosomal proteins are glycoproteins that should be folded or assembled correctly in the ER through interaction with calnexin, a chaperone associated with melanogenesis. These melanosomal glycoproteins are then accumulated in the trans Golgi network (TGN) and transported to the melanosomal compartment. During the formation of transport vesicles, coat proteins assemble on the cytoplasmic face of TGN to select their cargos by interacting directly or indirectly with melanosomal glycoproteins to be transported. Adapter protein‐3 (AP‐3) is important for intracellular transport of tyrosinase gene family proteins from TGN to melanosomes. Tyrosinase gene family proteins possess a di‐leucine motif in their cytoplasmic tail, to which AP‐3 appears to bind. Thus, the initial cascade of melanosome biogenesis is regulated by several factors including: 1) glycosylation of tyrosinase gene family proteins and their correct folding and assembly within ER and Golgi, and 2) supply of specific signals necessary for intracellular transport of these glycoproteins by vesicles from Golgi to melanosomes.     

Regulatory Factors of Pheo- and Eumelanogenesis in Melanogenic Compartments

Melanogenesis, i.e., synthesis of melanin and melanosomes, is a “cascade'’of event which is channelled by internal and external regulatory factors. The recognition and selection of this information and subsequent differentiation of melanogenesis (melanin type and melanosomal development) would be regulated significantly by melanosomal membrane. The melangenesis type could be switched relatively easily by UV light, hormone, and availability of tyrosinase substrate. The role of sulphydryl compounds as a regulatory factor in melangenesis type (in particular for pheomelanogenesis) may not be tied to its absolute presence or absence, but rather, to the effective concentration within the melanocyte at a given time. It is, therefore, probable that the morphogenesis of melanosomes may not follow immediately in response to melanogenesis-type changes, hence the melanocyte revealing more often mosaic forms of melanosomes in nature after exposure to non-genetic factors. The switch of melanogenesis would be significantly controlled by structural and functional availability of vesiculoglobular bodies which are encoded or associated with HMSA-5 (69 kDa) glycoprotein. This HMSA-5 protein shares a significant homology with gp75 “b-locus'’protein. However, because of our hypothesis that vesiculoglobular bodies carry post-(and pre-) tyrosinase regulatory factors involving in both pheo- and eumelanogenesis, the term “b-protein'’which focuses only on eumelanogenesis may not be applied to HMSA-5.     

Transcriptional analysis of tyrosinase gene expression during Bufo bufo development

Tyrosinase (EC.1.14.18.1.) is a widespread enzyme, in the phylogenetic scale, that produces melanin, from bacteria to man, by using as substrates monophenols, o-diphenols and molecular oxygen. In this work we have confirmed and demonstrated that during Bufo bufo development tyrosinase activity and gene expression first occur at developmental stages 17–18 (tail bud-muscular response) as detected by a spectrophotometric assay and qRT-PCR. As expected, also during B. bufo development tyrosinase gene is expressed after the late gastrula (stage 12), differently from Rana pipiens development when tyrosinase mRNA appears at the neural plate stage and enzyme activity at stage 20 (gill circulation). We have cloned and sequenced the B. bufo tyrosinase cDNA in order to prepare B. bufo tyrosinase cDNA specific primers (forward and reverse). Tyrosinase mRNA cloning has been performed by using degenerate primers prepared according to the anuran tyrosinase gene sequence coding for the copper binding sites. The expressions of tyrosinase gene and enzymatic activity during B. bufo development support that until the developmental stage 17, embryo melanin is of maternal origin and at this stage can start embryo melanin synthesis. A correlation exists between tyrosinase expression and O₂ consumption during B. bufo development.     

Glycosphingolipids are required for sorting melanosomal proteins in the Golgi complex.

Although glycosphingolipids are ubiquitously expressed and essential for multicellular organisms, surprisingly little is known about their intracellular functions. To explore the role of glycosphingolipids in membrane transport, we used the glycosphingolipid-deficient GM95 mouse melanoma cell line. We found that GM95 cells do not make melanin pigment because tyrosinase, the first and rate-limiting enzyme in melanin synthesis, was not targeted to melanosomes but accumulated in the Golgi complex. However, tyrosinase-related protein 1 still reached melanosomal structures via the plasma membrane instead of the direct pathway from the Golgi. Delivery of lysosomal enzymes from the Golgi complex to endosomes was normal, suggesting that this pathway is not affected by the absence of glycosphingolipids. Loss of pigmentation was due to tyrosinase mislocalization, since transfection of tyrosinase with an extended transmembrane domain, which bypassed the transport block, restored pigmentation. Transfection of ceramide glucosyltransferase or addition of glucosylsphingosine restored tyrosinase transport and pigmentation. We conclude that protein transport from Golgi to melanosomes via the direct pathway requires glycosphingolipids.     

Essential Role of RAB27A in Determining Constitutive Human Skin Color

Human skin color is predominantly determined by melanin produced in melanosomes within melanocytes and subsequently distributed to keratinocytes. There are many studies that have proposed mechanisms underlying ethnic skin color variations, whereas the processes involved from melanin synthesis in melanocytes to the transfer of melanosomes to keratinocytes are common among humans. Apart from the activities in the melanogenic rate-limiting enzyme, tyrosinase, in melanocytes and the amounts and distribution patterns of melanosomes in keratinocytes, the abilities of the actin-associated factors in charge of melanosome transport within melanocytes also regulate pigmentation. Mutations in genes encoding melanosome transport-related molecules, such as MYO5A, RAB27A and SLAC-2A, have been reported to cause a human pigmentary disease known as Griscelli syndrome, which is associated with diluted skin and hair color. Thus we hypothesized that process might play a role in modulating skin color variations. To address that hypothesis, the correlations of expression of RAB27A and its specific effector, SLAC2-A, to melanogenic ability were evaluated in comparison with tyrosinase, using human melanocytes derived from 19 individuals of varying skin types. Following the finding of the highest correlation in RAB27A expression to the melanogenic ability, darkly-pigmented melanocytes with significantly higher RAB27A expression were found to transfer significantly more melanosomes to keratinocytes than lightly-pigmented melanocytes in co-culture and in human skin substitutes (HSSs) in vivo, resulting in darker skin color in concert with the difference observed in African-descent and Caucasian skins. Additionally, RAB27A knockdown by a lentivirus-derived shRNA in melanocytes concomitantly demonstrated a significantly reduced number of transferred melanosomes to keratinocytes in co-culture and a significantly diminished epidermal melanin content skin color intensity (ΔL* = 4.4) in the HSSs. These data reveal the intrinsically essential role of RAB27A in human ethnic skin color determination and provide new insights for the fundamental understanding of regulatory mechanisms underlying skin pigmentation.     

A Decreasing Gradient of 374F Allele Frequencies in the Skin Pigmentation Gene SLC45A2, from the North of West Europe to North Africa

The 374F mutation in the SLC45A2 gene, encoding the membrane-associated transporter protein (MATP) that plays an important role in melanin synthesis, has been suggested to be associated with skin color in Caucasians. In this study, the detailed distribution of the 374F allele has been investigated in 2063 unrelated subjects from 18 European and three North African populations. The highest allele frequency is observed in Denmark (0.980), and the lowest frequencies are observed in Tunisia (0.610) and in Morocco (0.691). A significant latitudinal cline in 374F allele frequencies was observed, ranging from the north of West Europe to North Africa (r = 0.869). The results confirm that the distribution of the 374F allele may reflect the ultraviolet radiation level and can be associated with skin color variation in these regions.     

Transforming growth factor beta1 mediates hypopigmentation of B16 mouse melanoma cells by inhibition of melanin formation and melanosome maturation

Transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGFbeta1) downregulates tyrosinase in B16 melanoma cells by decreasing gene expression and the intracellular half-life of the enzyme, but does not block tyrosinase stimulation by alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (alphaMSH). In the presence of both agents, the enzymatic activity is intermediate between the one of cells treated with either agent alone. Here we show that TGFbeta1 equally inhibits the melanogenic activities of melan-a melanocytes and B16 melanoma cells, thus validating the B16 model. In both cell types, TGFbeta1 (10(-10) M, 48 h) inhibited to comparable levels tyrosine hydroxylation and melanin formation from L-tyrosine. Thus, the inhibitory effect is exerted mainly at the rate limiting step of the pathway. By means of quantitative image analysis techniques, we also studied the effects of TGFbeta1 and alphaMSH on melanosome number, volume density and maturation degree. alphaMSH (10(-7) M, 48 h) increased 7-fold melanosome volume density, whereas TGFbeta1 by itself had no significant effect. However, melanosomal volume density was intermediate in cells treated with both agents, as compared to control or alphaMSH-treated cells. Moreover, TGFbeta1 blocked the alphaMSH-elicited increase in the number of melanosomes. Control and alphaMSH-treated melanocytes contained more stage I+II premelanosomes and stage IV, fully melanized organelles than partially melanized stage III melanosomes. TGFbeta1 increased the percentage of stage III melanosomes. This trend was even more marked in cells treated with alphaMSH and TGFbeta1. The accumulation of incompletely melanized melanosomes is consistent with the inhibition of melanin formation activity by TGFbeta1 and with its hypopigmenting effect.     

Biological Role of Tyrosinase Related Protein and its Biosynthesis and Transport From TGN to Stage I Melanosome,Late Endosome,Through Gene Transfection Study

Tyrosinase-related protein (TRP)-1 is one of the most abundant melanosomal glycoproteins involved in melanogenesis. This report summarizes our recent research efforts related to the biological role and biosynthesis of TRP-1 and its transport from TGN (trans-Golgi network) to the stage I melanosome. Our UV irradiation and tyrosinase and TRP-1 cDNA co-transfection studies indicated that human TRP-1 is involved in not only melanogenesis but also prevention of melanocyte death, which may occur during biosynthesis of melanin pigment in the presence of tyrosinase. Furthermore, a coordinated gene interaction was indicated between tyrosinase and TRP-1, resulting in upregulation of mRNA and protein expression of LAMP (lysosome-associated membrane protein)-1 that would directly prevent the tyrosinase-mediated programmed cell death of melanocytes. Similar to tyrosinase, however, TRP-1 appears to require a molecular chaperone, calnexin, which we have cloned recently. Our cDNA transfection study of tyrosinase with calnexin showed clearly the necessity of calnexin in order to have efficient, functional activity of melanosomal glycoprotein, especially tyrosinase. Once glycosylation is completed, TRP-1 will be transported from TGN to the stage I melanosome. At this stage, TRP-1 will have its own target signal, in particular, tyrosine-rich leucine residues in cytoplasmic tail. Our TRP-1 cDNA transfection and immunoelectron microscopy study shows that TRP-1 will be transported through small vesicles, probably non-clathrin-coated type, to large vacuoles, identical to the MPR (mannose-6-phosphate receptor)-positive, late endosomes. In this transport process, a low molecular weight G-protein, rab-7, was isolated from the purified melanosomal protein on 2D-PAGE and identified by subsequent sequencing and PCR amplification. Confocal microscopy with double immunostaining and immunoelectron microscopy confirmed the co-localization of rab-7 and TRP-1 in the melanosomes with early stages of maturation (I-III). Furthermore, this process will also be regulated by phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI-3 kinase).     

Localization to Mature Melanosomes by Virtue of Cytoplasmic Dileucine Motifs Is Required for Human OCA2 Function

Oculocutaneous albinism type 2 is caused by defects in the gene OCA2, encoding a pigment cell-specific, 12-transmembrane domain protein with homology to ion permeases. The function of the OCA2 protein remains unknown, and its subcellular localization is under debate. Here, we show that endogenous OCA2 in melanocytic cells rapidly exits the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and thus does not behave as a resident ER protein. Consistently, exogenously expressed OCA2 localizes within melanocytes to melanosomes, and, like other melanosomal proteins, localizes to lysosomes when expressed in nonpigment cells. Mutagenized OCA2 transgenes stimulate melanin synthesis in OCA2-deficient cells when localized to melanosomes but not when specifically retained in the ER, contradicting a proposed primary function for OCA2 in the ER. Steady-state melanosomal localization requires a conserved consensus acidic dileucine-based sorting motif within the cytoplasmic N-terminal region of OCA2. A second dileucine signal within this region confers steady-state lysosomal localization in melanocytes, suggesting that OCA2 might traverse multiple sequential or parallel trafficking routes. The two dileucine signals physically interact in a differential manner with cytoplasmic adaptors known to function in trafficking other proteins to melanosomes. We conclude that OCA2 is targeted to and functions within melanosomes but that residence within melanosomes may be regulated by secondary or alternative targeting to lysosomes.