Marks Michael S, Theos Alexander C, Raposo Graça
Department of Pathology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6082, USA.
Immunol Res. 2003;27(2-3):409-26. doi: 10.1385/IR:27:2-3:409.
Melanosomes are specialized intracellular compartments within melanocytes and retinal pigment epithelial cells that function in the synthesis, storage, and secretion of melanins, which are the major pigments made by mammals. The mechanisms that regulate the formation of melanosomes, and the pathways by which constituent proteins are targeted to them, are related to those involved in the biogenesis of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II antigen-processing compartments. Consequently, diseases that affect pigmentation may also affect antigen presentation to T cells. Moreover, many of the tissue-specific proteins that localize to melanosomes and participate in melanin formation double as tumor-associated antigens that are targets for T cells in patients with melanoma. Our studies on melanosome biogenesis are providing new ways of thinking about antigen-processing compartments and the mechanisms regulating presentation of tumor-associated antigens.
黑素小体是黑素细胞和视网膜色素上皮细胞内的特殊细胞内区室，其功能是合成、储存和分泌黑色素，黑色素是哺乳动物产生的主要色素。调节黑素小体形成的机制以及组成蛋白靶向黑素小体的途径，与主要组织相容性复合体（MHC）II类抗原加工区室的生物发生所涉及的机制相关。因此，影响色素沉着的疾病也可能影响向T细胞的抗原呈递。此外，许多定位于黑素小体并参与黑色素形成的组织特异性蛋白同时也是肿瘤相关抗原，是黑色素瘤患者T细胞的靶标。我们对黑素小体生物发生的研究为思考抗原加工区室以及调节肿瘤相关抗原呈递的机制提供了新的思路。
