Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Morphogenesis of compound melanosomes in melanoma cells of a gray horse.
- Journal:
- The Journal of veterinary medical science
- Year:
- 1993
- Authors:
- Ohmuro, K et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Veterinary Pathology · Japan
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 19-year-old gray thoroughbred gelding had skin tumors known as melanomas, which were found from the root to the middle of his tail and throughout his body. These tumors were identified as mature melanotic melanomas, meaning they contained a lot of pigment. When examined closely with a special microscope, the melanosomes (the structures that contain pigment) were found to be in an advanced stage of development, often fused together and changing shape. The study observed that these melanosomes were evolving into different forms, indicating a complex process happening within the tumors. The findings suggest that the melanosomes in these tumors are undergoing significant changes, but the abstract does not specify any treatment or outcome for the horse.
Abstract
A thoroughbred horse, gelding, gray color, aged 19 years old had cutaneous melanomas from the root to the middle of the tail, and throughout the connective tissues of the whole body. Histologically, the tumors were diagnosed as mature melanotic melanomas characteristically deposited with abundant melanin pigment. Examined with an electron microscope, melanosomes were electron opaque without internal structure (stage IV), or as mature granular and lamellar types. Most of them were fused with each other, and formed compound melanosomes, which was similar to internal melanin aggregates in shape. The internal melanin aggregates gradually disintegrated, and compound melanosomes grew spherical. The compound melanosomes changed into autophagosomes.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8399754/