melanosome
noun
me·la·no·some
mə-ˈla-nə-ˌsōm 
ˈme-lə-nə-
plural melanosomes
: one of the membrane-bound spherical to elliptical granules within a melanocyte (as in skin, eyes, or hair follicles) that functions in the synthesis, storage, and transport of melanin and that transfer melanin from melanocytes to keratinocytes in skin and hair shafts
The melanin emerges from the cells in tiny cucumberlike particles called melanosomes that rise through a branching network of tubelike connections, eventually to board the keratinocytes rising from the basal-cell layer to the outer keratin layer.—
James C. G. Conniff
James C. G. Conniff
also
: a similar melanin-producing granule in a melanophore
In contrast to mammalian melanosomes, the melanosomes in fish and amphibian melanophores, which are equivalent to the melanocytes in mammals, are rapidly transported bidirectionally in response to extracellular stimuli and are not transferred to neighboring cells. —M. Fukada
M. Fukada Examples of melanosome in a Sentence
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In 2010, Benton’s lab published a study describing how to ascribe color to different dinosaurs by looking at the shapes of different melanosomes.
—Sofia Quaglia, Discover Magazine, 27 Apr. 2023
The second 2016 study concluded that Tully should be grouped with vertebrates because the pigment granules in the eyes, called melanosomes, were arranged by shape and size much like vertebrate eyes.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 25 Apr. 2023
The iridescence arises from the packing of the melanosomes within the feather.
—Jakob Vinther, Scientific American, 1 Mar. 2017
One source of colors in animals is a cellular structure called a melanosome.
—Carl Zimmer, Discover Magazine, 24 Jan. 2012
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Sofia Quaglia, Discover Magazine, 27 Apr. 2023
The second 2016 study concluded that Tully should be grouped with vertebrates because the pigment granules in the eyes, called melanosomes, were arranged by shape and size much like vertebrate eyes.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 25 Apr. 2023
The iridescence arises from the packing of the melanosomes within the feather.
—Jakob Vinther, Scientific American, 1 Mar. 2017
One source of colors in animals is a cellular structure called a melanosome.
—Carl Zimmer, Discover Magazine, 24 Jan. 2012
See all Example Sentences for melanosome
Dictionary Entries Near melanosome
Cite this Entry
“Melanosome.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/melanosome. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
melanosome
noun
me·la·no·some
mə-ˈlan-ə-ˌsōm, ˈmel-ə-nō-
: one of the membrane-bound spherical to elliptical granules within a melanocyte (as in skin, eyes, or hair follicles) that functions in the synthesis, storage, and transport of melanin and that transfer melanin from melanocytes to keratinocytes in skin and hair shafts
The size and shape of eumelanin particles in the body depend on the size and shape of the melanosomes, the organelles in melanocytes that synthesize melanin.—Corinna Wu, Science News
Corinna Wu, Science News
also
: a similar melanin-producing granule in a melanophore
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