1. Membrane bounded organelle found in melanocytes, when melanin synthesis is active internal structure is characteristic, containing melanofilaments that have a periodicity of around 9nm and are arranged in parallel arrays.
Mature melanosomes, in which the filamentous structure is masked by the dense accumulation of melanin, are transferred to keratinocytes.
Origin: Gr. Soma = body
(13 Nov 1997)
