What is the function of melanin?
How can you measure melanin content?
Analyze the distribution and motility of melanin granules with Nanolive cell imaging
Here, we imaged epithelial cells every 2 secs for 9 mins. The small, bright ovoid spots in the cell’s cytosol are melanin granules. Several observations can be made in the video:
- Melanin granules are present throughout the cell but tend to cluster around the cell’s nucleus.
- The granules are highly mobile and can travel in both directions.
- Movements occur at variable speeds.
The last two observations agree with findings made using a live-cell fluorescent melanosomal marker (4).
What’s next?
Bibliography
[1] Hu DN. 2008. Methodology for evaluation of melanin content and production of pigment cells in vitro. Photochem. Photobiol. 84(3):645-9.
[2] Wakamatsu K, Ito S. 2002. Advanced chemical methods in melanin determination. Pigment Cell Res. 15(3):174-83.
[3] Chung S, Lim GJ, Lee JY. 2019. Quantitative analysis of melanin content in a three-dimensional melanoma cell culture. Sci. Rep. 28;9(1):1-9.
[4] Bruder JM, Pfeiffer ZA, Ciriello JM, Horrigan DM, Wicks NL, Flaherty B, Oancea E. 2012. Melanosomal dynamics assessed with a live-cell fluorescent melanosomal marker. PLoS One. 22;7(8):e43465.
Read our latest news
Newsletter December: Investigating T cell interactions with AI image analysis
Welcome to the December edition of the AI for Live Cell Insights Newsletter, bringing you the latest live cell analyses powering drug discovery and cosmetics development. Each month, we will explore a new application of AI-based cellular analysis for label-free live...
Newsletter November 2024: Techniques for high-content live cell imaging
Welcome to the November edition of the AI for Live Cell Insights Newsletter, bringing you the latest live cell analyses powering drug discovery and cosmetics development. Each month, we will explore applications of AI-based cellular analysis for label-free live cell...
Newsletter October 2024: Investigative toxicology without labels
Welcome to the October edition of the AI for Live Cell Insights Newsletter, bringing you the latest live cell analyses powering drug discovery and cosmetics development. Each month, we will explore a new application of AI-based cellular analysis for label-free live...