Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

J Pawelek

Publications and source records attributed to J Pawelek.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Melanoma cells resistant to inhibition of growth by melanocyte stimulating hormone.

Melanocyte stimulating hormone (MSH) enhances melanization but inhibits proliferation of Cloudman S91 melanoma cells in culture. We have isolated variants of these cells that can grow in the presence of MSH. The conclusions we have reached from analyses of these cells are the following: (1) Basal tyrosinase activity (monophenol monooxygenase; monophenol, dihydroxyphenylalanine:oxygen oxidoreductase, EC 1.14.18.1), i.e., the activity that is present in the absence of added MSH, is related through a common biochemical pathway to MSH-mediated control of growth. (2) MSH-inducible tyrosinase activity does not appear to be related to MSH control of growth. (3) The morphological changes that occur following the addition of MSH or cAMP are related to controls of growth and not to those of melanization.

Animals↗

Genetic control of melanization: isolation and analysis of amelanotic variants from cultured melanotic melanoma cells.

MELANOMA CELLS EXPRESS A PHENOTYPE THAT IS EASY TO RECOGNIZE: the synthesis of melanin. We used this marker to isolate clones of amelanotic variants from large populations of wild-type melanotic clones. Cloudman mouse melanoma (S91, clone M-3, CCL 53.1) was chosen as the parental line because the cells are highly pigmented, grow well as clones in soft agar, and fuse readily with Sendai virus. Subclones (10(7)) of this line were screened without prior mutagenesis, and nine amelanotic variants were isolated. The mutagen ethylmethanesulfonate increased the frequency of variants by three to four orders of magnitude. Wild-type cells had both basal and melanocyte stimulating hormone-inducible tyrosinase activities. The four amelanotic variants that we have examined to date all behaved similarly: they lost basal tyrosinase (EC 1.14.18.1; monophenol monooxygenase) activity but retained melanocyte stimulating hormone-inducible activity; they contained Stage-II melanosomes but no melanized melanosomes; they exhibited growth characteristics similar to those of wild-type cells in culture but produced fewer tumors in mice.

Animals↗

Regulation of melanocyte stimulating hormone action at the receptor level: discontinuous binding of hormone to synchronized mouse melanoma cells during the cell cycle.

Melanocyte stimulating hormone coupled to Sepharose effects an increase in tryosinase (EC 1.14.18.1; monophenol monoxygenase) activity of cultivated mouse melanoma cells. Synchronized cells are found to respond to melanocyte stimulating hormone only in the G2 phase of the cell cycle, although their response to cyclic AMP is independent of position in the cell cycle. The binding of (125)I-labeled melanocyte stimulating hormone occurs predominantly in G2. These observations are satisfied by a model in which the hormone can activate adenylate cyclase (EC 4.6.1.1) by binding to a melanocyte stimulating hormone receptor only in G2; the events distal to cyclic AMP production can occur throughout the cell cycle.

Animals↗