Mammalian melanosomal proteins: characterization by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.

For many years the major problem impeding the elucidation of the structure of melanin and the melanosome has been the insolubility of the melanin polymer. To date, alkaline and acid hydrolysis seem to be the only methods available which can completely solubilize the melanosome (1); unfortunately, both methods degrade the constituents of the organelle other than the melanin polymer. The recent emergence of refined techniques for the solubilization of the more insoluble cellular components, such as ribosomes and membranes, justified a reinvestigation of melanosome solubility. This paper reports the successful solubilization of the melanosome, and a partial characterization of its proteins.