Melanogenesis in the pigment epithelium of chicken embryos. I. Topogenesis of pigment in the iris anlage.

The iris anlage of 2-10 and 15 days old chicken embryos were studied histochemically, and by both light and electron microscopy. Light microscopic serial sections showed that pigmentation began at the outer layer of the posterior eye pole and progressed from there forwards to the optic cup margin. The entire outer layer of the optic cup as well as the pupillary margin were completely pigmented by the 4th day of incubation. By the 10th day the posterior iris epithelium was totally pigmented. Electron microscopical studies showed that the first premelanosomes appeared at about the 3rd day of incubation in the anterior iris anlage with the exception of the pupillary margin. It could be shown that melanogenesis progressed through the following steps: premelanosomes, followed by tyrosinase activity in a Golgi-associated system of smooth endoplasmic reticulum (GERL) and small vesicles and finally differentiation of the melanosomes. The possible origin of the premelanosomes and the formation of melanin are discussed.