Melan A (MLANA) Antibody – Rabbit Monoclonal

Function: Involved in melanosome biogenesis by ensuring the stability of GPR143. Plays a vital role in the expression, stability, trafficking, and processing of melanocyte protein PMEL, which is critical to the formation of stage II melanosomes. Ref.10 Ref.11

Subunit structure: Interacts with PMEL. Interacts with GPR143. Ref.10 Ref.11

Subcellular location: Endoplasmic reticulum membrane; Single-pass type III membrane protein. Golgi apparatus. Golgi apparatus › trans-Golgi network membrane. Melanosome. Note: Also found in small vesicles and tubules dispersed over the entire cytoplasm. A small fraction of the protein is inserted into the membrane in an inverted orientation. Inversion of membrane topology results in the relocalization of the protein from a predominant Golgi/post-Golgi area to the endoplasmic reticulum. Melanoma cells expressing the protein with an inverted membrane topology are more effectively recognized by specific cytolytic T-lymphocytes than those expressing the protein in its native membrane orientation. Ref.8 Ref.9 Ref.10

Tissue specificity: Expression is restricted to melanoma and melanocyte cell lines and retina.

Post-translational modification: Acylated.