1. Academic Validation
  2. SLC45A2 protein stability and regulation of melanosome pH determine melanocyte pigmentation

SLC45A2 protein stability and regulation of melanosome pH determine melanocyte pigmentation

  • Mol Biol Cell. 2020 Nov 15;31(24):2687-2702. doi: 10.1091/mbc.E20-03-0200.
Linh Le 1 2 3 Iliana E Escobar 4 Tina Ho 1 2 3 Ariel J Lefkovith 1 2 3 Emily Latteri 1 2 Kirk D Haltaufderhyde 4 Megan K Dennis 1 2 5 Lynn Plowright 6 Elena V Sviderskaya 6 Dorothy C Bennett 6 Elena Oancea 4 Michael S Marks 1 2
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104.
  • 2 Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Department of Physiology and.
  • 3 Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Group, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104.
  • 4 Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology, and Biotechnology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912.
  • 5 Biology Department, Marist College, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601.
  • 6 Molecular & Clinical Sciences Research Institute, St George's, University of London, London SW17 0RE, UK.
Abstract

SLC45A2 encodes a putative transporter expressed primarily in pigment cells. SLC45A2 mutations cause oculocutaneous albinism type 4 (OCA4) and polymorphisms are associated with pigmentation variation, but the localization, function, and regulation of SLC45A2 and its variants remain unknown. We show that SLC45A2 localizes to a cohort of mature melanosomes that only partially overlaps with the cohort expressing the Chloride Channel OCA2. SLC45A2 expressed ectopically in HeLa cells localizes to lysosomes and raises lysosomal pH, suggesting that in melanocytes SLC45A2 expression, like OCA2 expression, results in the deacidification of maturing melanosomes to support melanin synthesis. Interestingly, OCA2 overexpression compensates for loss of SLC45A2 expression in pigmentation. Analyses of SLC45A2- and OCA2-deficient mouse melanocytes show that SLC45A2 likely functions later during melanosome maturation than OCA2. Moreover, the LIGHT skin-associated SLC45A2 allelic F374 variant restores only moderate pigmentation to SLC45A2-deficient melanocytes due to rapid proteasome-dependent degradation resulting in lower protein expression levels in melanosomes than the dark skin-associated allelic L374 variant. Our data suggest that SLC45A2 maintains melanosome neutralization that is initially orchestrated by transient OCA2 activity to support melanization at late stages of melanosome maturation, and that a common allelic variant imparts reduced activity due to protein instability.

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