Already when the now 9-month-old boy was born,

he had lighter skin and hair than his parents. Now it is noticeable that his

skin is very light overall, he has blue eyes and blonde hair. The boy has

partial albinism. Albinism is a rare, inherited metabolic disorder caused by a

defect in the enzyme tyrosinase. The disorder results in partial or complete

absence of melanin. Melanin is a pigment synthesized in the melanosomes

(derived from the Golgi apparatus) of melanocytes (cells of the epidermis) from

the amino acid tyrosine. What is the embryonic origin of melanocytes?