HUMAN MALIGNANT-MELANOMA - MELANOSOMAL POLYMORPHISM AND ULTRASTRUCTURAL DOPA REACTION

  • 1 January 1978
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 98  (4) , 381-390
Abstract
An ultrastructural dopa reaction, with glutaraldehyde-formaldehyde prefixation, was done on 10 specimens of malignant skin melanoma showing a wide variation in melanosomal morphology. All tumors, but only a minority of tumor cells, contained reaction product. In all tumors the reaction product was distributed similarly in the Golgi apparatus and Golgi associated endoplasmic reticulum (GERL). Differences were noted in its deposition in melanosomes. Whereas vacuolar and lamellar profiles sometimes contained reaction product, it was not seen in normal, granular and abortive melanosomes. Tumor cells without melanosomes also contained reaction product.