Abstract
The formation of secondary lysosomes was induced in keratinocytes of guinea pig skin. Lysosomes labeled by an electron microscopic tracer (Thorotrast) were observed to fuse with and spill their contents into melanosome complexes and membrane bound single melanosomes within keratmocytes. Since fusions occur only between like or functionally related organelles it is concluded that melanosome complexes and single melanosomes within keratinocytes represent secondary lysosomes. This is supported by the observation that these structures contain acid hydrolases and that melanosome degradation takes place in the labeled melanosome complexes. Fusions were also observed between labeled and non-labeled melanosome complexes and single melanosomes, respectively, which suggests that, in a given population of melanosome complexes, not all are complexed during pigment transfer but that some are formed de novo within keratinocytes as the product of fusion phenomena.
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