Bomirski Ab amelanotic melanoma cells have recently been shown to undergo striking phenotypic changes when precursors of the melanogenic pathway, L-tyrosine and L-dopa, are added to the culture medium. The changes include increased tyrosinase activity and de novo synthesis of melanosomes and melanin. L-tyrosine and L-dopa appeared to elicit these responses through separate but overlapping regulatory pathways. Here we show an additional effect of L-tyrosine: stimulation of MSH binding capacity. Cells cultured for 24–48 hours in the presence of 200 μM L-tyrosine display a 3–4 fold increase in their ability to bind125l-β-MSH. L-dopa did not stimulate MSH binding under the same conditions. In control experiments neither L-tyrosine nor L-dopa had any effect on insulin binding. The amelanotic cells respond to MSH with increased dendrite formation, increased tyrosinase activity without melanin production, and decreased growth rate.
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December 01 1987
MSH binding in bomirski amelanotic hamster melanoma cells is stimulated by L-tyrosine
Andrzej Slominski;
Andrzej Slominski
1Department of Dermatology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06510, USA
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John Pawelek
John Pawelek
1Department of Dermatology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06510, USA
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
December 03 1987
Online ISSN: 1573-4935
Print ISSN: 0144-8463
© 1987 Plenum Publishing Corporation
1987
Biosci Rep (1987) 7 (12): 949–954.
Article history
Received:
December 03 1987
Citation
Andrzej Slominski, John Pawelek; MSH binding in bomirski amelanotic hamster melanoma cells is stimulated by L-tyrosine. Biosci Rep 1 December 1987; 7 (12): 949–954. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01122128
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