A new concept of the relation between the Langerhans cell and the melanocyte.
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The dermal melanocyte system of the Syrian hamster is particularly responsive to the melanogenetic and tumor-inducing effects of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA). The melanocytes of the hair follicles appear to be susceptible to the melanogenetic effect of DMBA but not to its tumor-inducing effect. The epidermal melanocytes are non-pigmented and are unresponsive to both melanogenetic and carcinogenic effects of DMBA. The pigmented granules of the dermal melanocytes of both the golden and the white hamster have an identical substructure and pattern of melanization which occurs in an orderly fashion on a delicate fibrillar component. The hair melanocytes have larger pigment granules with a more complicated fibrillar substructure. The epidermal melanocytes do not possess pigment granules but are recognized by their dendritic shape, the absence of desmosomes and tonofilaments, and the presence of racket-shaped or rod-shaped organelles. The melanin granules in neoplastic melanocytes of the golden hamster differ from corresponding normal melanocytes only in their larger size. In the white hamster, however, the melanin granules in tumors produced under identical experimental conditions are so bizarre and atypical that consideration was given to the possibility that a genetic difference in the melanization pattern between the two varieties becomes apparent in carcinogen-induced melanotic tumors. No definite conclusions could be reached as to the precise origin of the melanin granules in either normal or neoplastic melanocytes.
Nucleic acids in young leaves of Swiss chard have been studied by light and electron microscope techniques. Leaf DNA has also been characterized by density gradient centrifugation and shown to contain a minor band of higher guanine plus cytosine (GC) content, presumably attributable to chloroplasts. The chloroplasts were faintly stained by the Feulgen reaction; radioautography demonstrated the incorporation of tritiated thymidine in the cytoplasm and in some nuclei. The Feulgen stainability and most of the radioactivity were removable with DNase. Under the electron microscope, both mitochondria and chloroplasts were found to contain filamentous and particulate components within the matrix areas. The morphology of the filamentous component was dependent on the fixation, being partially clumped after OSO(4) or formalin, but finely filamentous after Kellenberger fixation. The filaments were stainable with uranyl acetate, and were extractable with DNase following formalin fixation under conditions in which nuclear DNA was also extracted. The particulate component, after formalin fixation and uranyl staining, was prominent in chloroplasts from young leaves, but was only sparsely distributed in mitochondria. The stainability was removed with ribonuclease. We have concluded that chloroplasts and mitochondria of Swiss chard possess a filamentous component that contains DNA, probably responsible for both cytoplasmic thymidine incorporation and the minor band in CsCl centrifugation. A particulate ribosome-like component that contains RNA is also present.
The effect of colchicine was studied on the rapid, reversible darkening of frog skin under the influence of melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH). Darkening is due to dispersion of melanin granules in melanocytes and is thought to be accompanied by a gel-to-sol cytoplasmic transformation. After subsequent washing, the skin lightens, with aggregation of melanin granules and cytoplasmic gelation. Preincubation of skin with colchicine had the following effects: 1. Darkening induced by MSH was increased in comparison to control skins, and on removal of MSH, lightening was inhibited. Inhibition was a function of both concentration (1 x 10(-5) to 9 x 10(-5)M) and exposure time (2 to 30 minutes). Once established, inhibition was maintained throughout the remainder of the experiment. 2. The same effects were noted (a) when darkening was effected by agents other than MSH (ATP) 0.9 x 10(-3)M; caffeine, 5.2 x 10(-3)M; ethyl acetate, 0.8 x 10(-2)M), and (b) when lightening was effected by addition of chemical agents (melatonin, 4.3 x 10(-10)M; hydrocortisone, 1 x 10(-3)M; norepinephrine, 1 x 10(-3)M), instead of by washing. 3. Colchicine alone produced a gradual, irreversible, dosage-dependent darkening over several hours. This darkening was inhibited by melatonin, 4.3 x 10(-10)M. The melanocyte model is used to construct a general theory of colchicine action on living cells, an action resulting in decreased protoplasmic viscosity. In this formulation colchicine lowers the potential limit of protoplasmic gelation, and does it rapidly, reversibly, in low concentration, in a dosage-dependent manner, and without killing the cell. The theory allows interpretation of "synergism" and "antagonism" to colchicine by other substances. It suggests a tentative approach to the understanding of colchicine action in acute gouty arthritis, where interference with ameboid activities of polymorphonuclear leukocytes is one possible aspect of the anti-inflammatory effect of colchicine. Finally, the colchicine-treated melanocyte is viewed as a good, live physical model that can be used to elucidate some fundamental biological properties.