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Query: UMLS:C0025202 (melanoma)
 69,561 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Cloudman S91 mouse melanoma cells respond in culture to B-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (B-MSH) with changes in morphology, growth rates, and melanin production. The effects of MSH appear to be mediated through a stimulation of the cyclic AMP system. It was reported earlier that at least some of the responses to MSH (increased cyclic AMP production and tyrosinase activity) occur in the G2 phase of the cell cycle [Wong, G., Pawelek, J., Sansone, M., & Morowitz, J. (1974) Nature (London) 248, 351-354] and that the apparent reason for this cell cycle restriction is that receptors for MSH are most active in the G2 phase [Varga, J. M., DiPasquale, A., Pawelek, J., McGuire, J., & Lerner, A. (1974) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 71, 1590-1593]. In this report, we found that by two separate methods of obtaining populations of cells in the G2 phase of their cycle--centrifugal elutriation or synchronization with thymidine--we observed increased binding of MSH by cells in the G2 and possibly late S phases of their cycle. However, cultures of cells passing through their cycle in synchrony were quite different from nonsynchronized (random) cultures. Both synchronized and random cultures expressed receptors for MSH in the G2 and possibly late S phases of their cycle, but synchronized cultures bound severalfold more MSH per cell than random cultures. This increased binding of MSH by synchronized cells was accompanied by an increase in tyrosinase activity and pigment production.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Receptors for B-melanocyte-stimulating hormone exhibit positive cooperativity in synchronized melanoma cells. 313 2

Melanotropin (MSH) receptor activity in the M2R mouse melanoma cell line is tightly controlled by calcium by an unknown mechanism. The possibility that calcium regulation is mediated by calmodulin or a calmodulin-related calcium binding protein has been addressed in this report by studying the effects of two known calmodulin antagonists, fluphenazine and melittin, on MSH receptor function. Stimulation of adenylate cyclase (AC) in M2R plasma membranes by beta MSH was strongly inhibited by both antagonists. The concentrations of fluphenazine and melittin yielding half-maximal inhibition (IC50) of AC were 16 microM and 2.4 microM, respectively. Both fluphenazine and melittin also inhibit prostaglandin E1-, GTP gamma S, and forskolin-stimulated AC activity, as well as that of unstimulated enzyme, although inhibition is shown to occur at significantly higher concentrations of antagonist. We have shown that the calcium-dependent rate-limiting step in MSH stimulation of adenylate cyclase, that of hormone binding, is strongly inhibited by these antagonists at concentrations identical to, if not lower than, those required for the inhibition of AC activity (fluphenazine-IC50, 14 microM; melittin-IC50, 0.7 microM). The actions of these antagonists, furthermore, appear to be calcium insensitive, as melittin affects the stability of both the high affinity (calcium containing) and low affinity (calcium depleted) receptor-MSH complexes. The sensitivity of the MSH receptor to inhibition by calmodulin antagonists resembles that described for purified calmodulin-sensitive enzyme systems, which suggests a possible role for calmodulin in MSH receptor function. Among peptide hormone receptors, this effect by calmodulin antagonists appears to be unique for the MSH receptor.
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PMID:Inhibition by melittin and fluphenazine of melanotropin receptor function and adenylate cyclase in M2R melanoma cell membranes. 366 46

Transglutaminase (TGase; R-glutaminyl-peptide:amine gamma-glutamyltransferase, EC 2.3.2.13) and ornithine decarboxylase (ODCase; L-ornithine carboxy-lyase, EC 4.1.1.17) activities were measured after the addition of retinoid analogs to Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells released from quiescence and Cloudman S91 (CCL 53.1) mouse melanoma cells stimulated to differentiate with alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH, melanotropin). In both cell culture lines, we detected a biphasic increase in TGase activity and a single peak of ODCase activity within 7 hr after release or stimulation. Retinoid analogs altered the expression of the initial TGase peak in both CHO and melanoma cells. Retinol increased the activity of TGase 1 hr after release in CHO cells, and the activity remained elevated until hr 4. A broad peak of TGase activity also occurred after the addition of alpha-difluoromethylornithine, an irreversible inhibitor of ODCase, and after addition of alpha-difluoromethylornithine plus retinol. In mouse melanoma cells, retinoic acid plus MSH markedly enhanced the activity of the initial TGase peak compared to MSH alone. Retinoic acid alone also increased TGase activity biphasically in these cells without the addition of MSH. These studies suggest that retinoid effects that increase TGase activity may alter the ODCase expression in proliferation and differentiation.
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PMID:Retinoids increase transglutaminase activity and inhibit ornithine decarboxylase activity in Chinese hamster ovary cells and in melanoma cells stimulated to differentiate. 612 41

From a human melanoma line (MM96), showing some dependence of its rate of growth and cell attachment on serum concentration, sublines were selected for even greater dependence on serum factors. These sublines were used to identify the production of substances by other melanoma cells in culture that would supplement or replace the requirement for serum. Most of the sublines showed higher colony-forming efficiency in medium conditioned by one of several cell types in the presence of a low concentration of serum (2.5%) compared with fresh medium containing a high concentration of serum (10%). The conditioning factor(s) were found to be moderately heat-stable, nonlipophilic, and to be of low molecular weight (less than or greater than 400). Screening of a variety of non-essential low molecular weight nutrients, which have been reported to potentiate the growth of a variety of cell types in low-density culture, was positive for the MM96 sublines only for pyruvate. In particular, L-alanine, L-serine, putrescine and alpha MSH (melanocyte-stimulating hormone) were ineffective. Despite the problems of comparing conditioned media with fresh medium, a reasonable correlation between the stimulatory effect and the cell content of added 2-oxocarboxylates was apparent. As would be anticipated, MM96 cultures showed a population density-dependent enhancement of growth up to a cell density of 2 to 4 x 10(4) cells cm-2. Further increase in the initial cell density of these cultures led to a decline in growth rate. An important additional observation was that simple dilution of the ingredients of RPMI1640 with phosphate-buffered saline or Hanks' balanced salt solution led to a reversal of growth inhibition accompanying a serum shift-down.
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PMID:The nature of conditioning nutrients for human malignant melanoma cultures. 622 87

Cloudman S91 mouse melanoma cells lose their ability to demonstrate an MSH-induced increase in tyrosinase activity as cell density increases. This loss in hormone responsiveness occurs before confluency is reached and cannot be reversed by exposure of cells to increasing concentrations of MSH. The failure of high-density cultures to respond to MSH is apparently not the result of an inability of MSH to stimulate cAMP production, since either low- or high-density cultures exposed to MSH demonstrate equivalent increases in intracellular levels of cAMP. Further, neither theophylline (1mM), dibutyryl cyclic AMP (10(-4)M), or prostaglandin E1 (10(-6)M) is effective in stimulating tyrosinase activity in melanoma cells cultured at densities exceeding 6 X 10(4) cells/cm2. This finding suggests that the decay of hormone responsiveness occurs at a cellular site distal to cAMP production. The decrease in tyrosinase stimulation by MSH as cell density increases is also apparently not the result of an increase in activity of any soluble inhibitor of the enzyme, for cytosol preparations from high-density cultures (10(5) cells/cm2) fail to inhibit tyrosinase activity in cell homogenates from low-density cultures treated with MSH.
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PMID:Decay of hormone responsiveness in mouse melanoma cells in culture as a function of cell density. 625 96

Studies were performed for the investigation of endocrine responsiveness in cell lines derived from either normal human melanocytes or human melanoma cells. Alterations in differentiation (tyrosinase activity) were determined in cells exposed to either melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH, 10(-7) M), theophylline (10(-3) M), N6,O2'-dibutyryl cyclic AMP (db-cAMP, 10(-4) M), or prostaglandin E1 (PGE1, 10(-6) M). Cultures derived from normal uveal melanocytes demonstrated increased tyrosinase activity upon exposure to either theophylline, db-cAMP, or PGE1, but not to MSH. However, MSH responsiveness was detected in 7 of 11 human melanoma cell lines. Four cell lines demonstrated increased activity of tyrosinase after MSH treatment, whereas three lines showed an MSH-induced inhibition of enzyme activity. PGE1 was effective in stimulating tyrosinase activity in five of nine cell lines examined. Theophylline was the most effective stimulator of tyrosinase in melanoma-derived cell populations and caused increased enzyme activity in eight of eleven cell lines.
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PMID:Endocrine responsiveness in human melanocytes and melanoma cells in culture. 626 56

Insulin lowers basal levels of tyrosinase activity and inhibits the MSH-induced increase in tyrosinase in Cloudman S-91 mouse melanoma cell cultures. Insulin exerts its inhibitory effects in a typical dose-response manner, with maximal inhibition of enzyme activity occurring at 10-7 M. At maximal inhibition, tyrosinase activity is reduced to approximately 50% of the control levels. This inhibition precedes the observed inhibitory effect on cellular proliferation. Insulin not only lowers cell responsiveness to MSH, but also inhibits the tyrosinase stimulation produced by either theophylline or (Bu)2cAMP. Neither control levels nor MSH-mediated elevated cellular levels of cAMP were altered by insulin (10-7 M). These findings suggest that insulin exerts its inhibitory effects at a site distal to cAMP production. The inhibitory effect of insulin on tyrosinase activity could not be mimicked by either (Bu)2cGMP or 8-bromo-cGMP, suggesting that insulin does not exert its effects by altering cellular levels of this nucleotide. Insulin reduces the rate of incorporation of [3H]leucine into trichloroacetic acid-precipitable material by 50%, a finding which suggests that insulin may exert its inhibitory effects on tyrosinase activity and perhaps on cellular proliferation by causing a general reduction in protein synthetic rates.
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PMID:Insulin-mediated inhibition of tyrosinase activity and protein synthesis in melanoma cell cultures. 631 45

The matter of sex differences in survival from melanoma is more complex than generally recognized, and at least 6 factors, some of which appear to be interrelated, must be conisdered: location of the primary melanoma; stage of disease at presentation; endocrine factors; immunologic factors; pattern of metastatic spread (i.e., lymphogenic versus hematogenic), and environmental and behavioral characteristics. Extremity melanomas have a more favorable prognosis than axial melanomas, but, after allowance for tumor site, women still fare better than men. There appears to be a stage-by-stage difference in favor of women for survival. This applies to clinical stages (stage 1, local disease; stage 2, regional spread; and stage 3, distant metastases), as well as to pathologic microstages. Some authors have inferred that female advantage disappears once the disease has metastasized. No valid explanation for this observation has ever been advanced, and careful review of the literature reveals a female superiority in survival at stage 2 or stage 3 disease as well as stage 1. Many recent studies have confirmed the ancient impression that the incidence of metastatic disease at the time of diagnosis is higher in men. Men tend to have an equal or shorter history before treatment, yet they have more advanced disease at the time of diagnosis. They have an unfavorable outcome irrespective of lesion site, tumor thickness, histogenetic subtype, and clinical stage of disease. These data suggest that the disease develops more rapidly in men. Thus, the aggressiveness and metastatic potential of cutaneous melanoma is more distinct in the male sex. The exacerbation of melanoma during pregnancy may be due to the increase of estrogens or to the elevated androgen levels. The first possibility is unlikely. The elevation of follicle stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and MSH levels may play a role. Several case-controlled studies have failed to reveal any overall relationship between prior history of oral contraceptive use and the development of melanoma. Because the role of estrogens (and hormones in general) in the course of melanoma is not yet satisfactorily established, oral contraceptives are best avoided. It is concluded that malignant melanoma may be a hormone-responsive tumor, despite the fact that the exact nature of such endocrine factors remains nebulous.
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PMID:Sex differences in survival from cutaneous melanoma. 638 12

An exposure of cultured Cloudman S91 melanoma cells to inhibitors of polyamine biosynthesis, 2-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) and methylglyoxal bis(guanylhydrazone) (MGBG), distinctly promoted the expression of differentiated biochemical functions of the tumor cells. Slight to moderate growth inhibition produced by the compounds was associated with a stimulation of melanogenesis, as reflected by a striking enhancement of tyrosinase (EC 1.10.3.1) activity and an increase in cellular melanin content. Both antimetabolites acted synergistically with alpha-melanotropin (MSH), as regards the stimulation of melanogenesis. Exposure of the melanoma cells to MSH resulted in most experiments in a marked decrease of the intracellular polyamine pools, usually involving all three polyamines (putrescine, spermidine and spermine). The DFMO-induced stimulation of melanogenesis was totally suppressed by the administration of putrescine, whereas the MSH-stimulated tyrosinase activity was not influenced by the diamine. Although many recent reports indicate that terminal differentiation is accompanied by a distinct stimulation of polyamine biosynthesis, our results suggest that in certain cells polyamine deprivation may lead to an enhanced expression of differentiated phenotype.
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PMID:Stimulation of melanotic expression in murine melanoma cells exposed to polyamine antimetabolites. 640 78

A reproducible and sensitive assay for melanotropic agents is described employing mouse melanoma cells in culture and measuring tyrosinase activity in terms of production of tritiated water from L-(ring-3,5-3H)-tyrosine. Molar concentrations of peptides inducing one-half maximal stimulation of tyrosinase activity were: beta-MSH, 1 +/- 2 x 10(-9); alpha-MSH and Beta h-LPH, 1 +/- 2 x 10(-8); ACTHp, 1 +/- 2 x 10(-7). Beta p 9-18-MSH and melanotropin potentiating factor, beta s 88-91-LPH exhibited no activity at concentrations as high as 10(-5)M.
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PMID:Assay of melanotropic peptides in an in vitro mammalian system. 679 95


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