LYSOSOME-ASSOCIATED MEMBRANE PROTEIN-1 (LAMP-1) IS THE MELANOCYTE VESICULAR MEMBRANE GLYCOPROTEIN BAND-II

Coated vesicles play a critical role in the process of melanogenesis. Antisera raised against a coated vesicle fraction from mouse melanoma cells recognize two major glycoprotein antigens, band I (47-55 kd) and band II (90-120 kd). We demonstrate that band II is lysosome-associated membrane protein 1 (LAMP-1) by the following criteria: 1) the molecular weight and abundance of LAMP-1 varies among tissues but is always identical to that of band II; 2) band II and LAMP-1 co-migrate in sucrose gradient sedimentation studies; 3) immunodepletion of cell extracts with antivesicle serum removes all LAMP-1; and 4)intact organelles immunoisolated with antivesicle serum contain band II and LAMP-1. Our results further confirm the long-suspected relationship between melanosomes and the lysosomal lineage of organelles.