The sap from Euphorbia peplus is effective against human nonmelanoma skin cancers.

BACKGROUND: The sap from Euphorbia peplus, commonly known as petty spurge in the U.K. or radium weed in Australia, has been used as a traditional treatment for a number of cancers. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effectiveness of E. peplus sap in a phase I/II clinical study for the topical treatment of basal cell carcinomas (BCC), squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) and intraepidermal carcinomas (IEC). METHODS: Thirty-six patients, who had refused, failed or were unsuitable for conventional treatment, were enrolled in a phase I/II clinical study. A total of 48 skin cancer lesions were treated topically with 100-300 µL of E. peplus sap once daily for 3 days. RESULTS: The complete clinical response rates at 1 month were 82% (n = 28) for BCC, 94% (n = 16) for IEC and 75% (n = 4) for SCC. After a mean follow-up of 15 months these rates were 57%, 75% and 50%, respectively. For superficial lesions < 16 mm, the response rates after follow-up were 100% for IEC (n = 10) and 78% for BCC (n = 9). CONCLUSIONS: The clinical responses for these relatively unfavourable lesions (43% had failed previous treatments, 35% were situated in the head and neck region and 30% were > 2 cm in diameter), are comparable with existing nonsurgical treatments. An active ingredient of E. peplus sap has been identified as ingenol mebutate (PEP005). This clinical study affirms community experience with E. peplus sap, and supports further clinical development of PEP005 for the treatment of BCC, SCC and IEC.

Histone deacetylase inhibitors trigger a G2 checkpoint in normal cells that is defective in tumor cells.

Important aspects of cell cycle regulation are the checkpoints, which respond to a variety of cellular stresses to inhibit cell cycle progression and act as protective mechanisms to ensure genomic integrity. An increasing number of tumor suppressors are being demonstrated to have roles in checkpoint mechanisms, implying that checkpoint dysfunction is likely to be a common feature of cancers. Here we report that histone deacetylase inhibitors, in particular azelaic bishydroxamic acid, triggers a G2 phase cell cycle checkpoint response in normal human cells, and this checkpoint is defective in a range of tumor cell lines. Loss of this G2 checkpoint results in the tumor cells undergoing an aberrant mitosis resulting in fractured multinuclei and micronuclei and eventually cell death. This histone deacetylase inhibitor-sensitive checkpoint appears to be distinct from G2/M checkpoints activated by genotoxins and microtubule poisons and may be the human homologue of a yeast G2 checkpoint, which responds to aberrant histone acetylation states. Azelaic bishydroxamic acid may represent a new class of anticancer drugs with selective toxicity based on its ability to target a dysfunctional checkpoint mechanism in tumor cells.

New cysteine derivatives with antiproliferative activity on melanoma cells.

Here we describe the rational design, computer-aided virtual ligand docking and synthesis of 19 nonpeptidic compounds designed to inhibit histone deacetylases and kill melanoma cells. Compounds were derived from cysteine, fused at the S-terminus to 4-butanoyl hydroxamate, and at the N-terminus to 4-(dimethylamino)benzoic acid. The latter was extended by coupling to amines to form a small library of prospective anti-cancer compounds. Four compounds were cytotoxic at sub-micromolar concentrations against cells of a particularly aggressive human melanoma (MM96L), and nine compounds showed selectivities of >or=5:1 for killing human melanoma instead of normal human fibroblast cells. The most active compounds were shown to cause hyperacetylation of histones due to inhibition of histone deacetylases. Further refinement of these compounds may produce an anti-tumor drug suitable for treating melanoma.

Dependence on treatment time of melphalan resistance and DNA cross-linking in human melanoma cell lines.

In the human melanoma cell line MM127 , the melphalan survival curve was linear and exhibited reciprocity with respect to concentration and treatment time. The survival curve of an allogeneic line, MM253c1 , exhibited a shoulder and, on a concentration X time basis, was resistant to 1-hr compared with 4-hr treatment. This type of resistance, which was not found using chlorambucil, nitrogen mustard, or methyl methanesulfonate, could be overcome by simultaneous hyperthermia (42 degrees) but not by treatment with thymidine or caffeine. Both lines had similar levels of DNA interstrand cross-linking (perchlorate renaturation method) after 1-hr treatment, but MM253c1 cells were able to repair most of this damage during the next 23 hr. The cross-links formed in MM253c1 cells after 1 hr were predominantly heat sensitive and photoresistant , whereas those formed in MM127 cells were heat resistant and photosensitive. These results suggest that melphalan formed repairable (possibly diadeninyl or adeninyl - guaninyl ) cross-links in MM253c1 cells during the first hr of treatment and nonrepairable , possibly diguaninyl cross-links in MM127 cells at all stages of treatment. It appears therefore that the mode of action of melphalan and the effect of synergistic agents may not be identical in all cells.

Cross-sensitivity of methylating agents, hydroxyurea, and methotrexate in human tumor cells of the Mer- phenotype.

Five human tumor cell lines of the Mer- phenotype sensitive to killing by the methylating agent 5-(3-methyl-1-triazeno)imidazole-4-carboxamide were sensitive to hydroxyurea (HU) compared with 15 cell lines resistant to methylating agents (Mer+ phenotype). In a study using fewer cell lines, Mer- cells were also sensitive to methotrexate but not to seven other agents including the antimetabolites 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine and 5-fluorouracil. Cells sensitive to HU were designated the Hu- phenotype. Five autologous Mer+ lines, derived in vitro by treating Mer- lines with methylating agents, did not become resistant to HU or methotrexate (Mer+ Hu- phenotype). All Mer+ lines studied had enhanced ability to reactive methylated adenovirus. Adenovirus was inactivated by prolonged treatment with HU, but no enhanced reactivation of HU-treated virus was found in Mer+ cell lines. Cell survival after 5-(3-methyl-1-triazeno)imidazole-4-carboxamide treatment was not significantly decreased by HU, nor was replication of methylated adenovirus inhibited by HU in Mer- or Mer+ lines. Replication of untreated adenovirus was poor in Mer- cells treated with HU, indicating that sensitivity of cells to HU was associated with inhibition of DNA synthesis. These results suggest that cell sensitivity to deoxynucleotide depletion is linked, perhaps coincidentally, to the Mer- phenotype. The retention of HU and methotrexate sensitivity by cells after development of resistance to 5-(3-methyl-1-triazeno)imidazole-4-carboxamide may have therapeutic implications.

Comparison of virus reactivation, DNA base damage, and cell cycle effects in autologous human melanoma cells resistant to methylating agents.

A human melanoma cell line (MM253c1-3D) having an induced stable resistance to the methylating agents 5-(3'-methyl-1-triazeno)imidazole-4-carboxamide, methylnitrosourea, and N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine gave more efficient replication of 5-(3'-methyl-1-triazeno)imidazole-4-carboxamide-treated adenovirus 5 than did the methylation-sensitive parent line (MM253c1). Analysis of DNA hydrolysates from melanoma cells treated with [3H]methylnitrosourea for 1.6 hr showed similar initial levels of 7-methylguanine and 3-methyladenine in both cell lines and substantial excision of the latter lesion after 19 hr. O6-Methylguanine in the DNA of MM253c1 cells also decreased during this period, but in MM253c1-3D cells the initial yield of this lesion was too low for subsequent decrease to be detected. 5-(3'-Methyl-1-triazeno)imidazole-4-carboxamide induced a significant arrest of MM253c1 cells in the G2 phase of the cell cycle. These results show that MM253c1 is a variant of the Mer- phenotype, the resistance of MM253c1-3D cells being attributed to reversion to Mer+ and expressed as very rapid repair of O6-methylguanine lesions.

DNA damage and selective toxicity of dopa and ascorbate:copper in human melanoma cells.

Six of eight human melanoma lines showed increased sensitivity to killing by dopa and by ascorbate:copper compared with two fibroblast strains and four other human cell lines of nonmelanoma origin. Catechol, epinephrine, and alpha-methyldopa, but not 5,6-dihydroxyindole, exhibited a similar degree of selectivity. Toxicity was greatly reduced when brief exposure times or high cell densities were used. Depending upon culture conditions, melanoma cells accumulated more [3H]dopa- and [14C]ascorbate-derived isotopic label within the first five min than fibroblasts, but after one hr this difference was less marked. The catalase activity in melanoma cells was not less than that in fibroblasts. Using two independent methods to determine each type of damage, dopa and ascorbate:copper were found to induce DNA breaks in both cell types but not DNA repair synthesis or DNA interstrand cross-links. More DNA breaks were found in melanoma cells (two lines) than in fibroblasts. Semiconservative DNA synthesis was inhibited immediately, recovered within six hr, and in melanoma cells, was again inhibited after 24 hr. RNA synthesis was inhibited less than DNA synthesis. Human cell lines with differential sensitivity to gamma-radiation, ultraviolet light, cross-linking agents, or monofunctional alkylating agents, exhibited normal survival levels when treated with dopa or ascorbate:copper.

The effect of hyperthermia and melphalan on survival of human fibroblast strains and melanoma cell lines.

The survival of four human fibroblast strains and seven malignant melanoma cell lines was determined by the colony formation method following 4-hr treatment with various concentrations of melphalan, with or without simultaneous exposure to hyperthermia (42 degrees). The two amelanotic melanoma lines (MM127 and MM253) were 10 times more sensitive to melphalan at 36 degrees than were the four fibroblast strains, the five pigmented melanoma lines being of intermediate sensitivity. Sensitivity to melphalan was usually accompanied by sensitivity to heat, while combined treatment was not only synergistic in most lines but increased the differential between fibroblasts and melanoma cells. Survival studies carried out at 36 degrees, 40 degrees, 42 degrees, and 44 degrees, using human fetal lung fibroblasts and MM253 cells, showed that 42 degrees gave the greatest differential effect and allowed reasonable survival of the normal cells. Time-survival comparison of the same two lines demonstrated that there was no advantage in prolonging hyperthermia unless melphalan was used. A more convenient method for determination of survival was developed based on thymidine uptake of colonies grown in Linbro wells.

Mechanism of melphalan resistance developed in vitro in human melanoma cells.

Melphalan resistance developed previously in a human melanoma cell line (MM253) could not be further increased. Cross-resistance was found to nitrogen mustard but not to ultraviolet light radiation. A clone of MM253 had the same drug sensitivity and heterogeneous chromosome complements as did the parent culture. The melphalan-resistant cells (MM253-12M) had 2.6-fold the D0, 1.5-fold the size, 1.3-fold the RNA content, 1.4-fold the protein content, and 2.6-fold the DNA content of the sensitive parent line. There was no evidence for activation or detoxification of melphalan by intact melanoma cells or by mouse liver microsomes competent for the activation of other drugs. Melphalan transport was similar in both cell lines, reaching a steady-state level 3 times the concentration in the medium after 2.5 min. Both lines covalently bound the same total amount of [3H]melphalan per cell, but in MM253-12M a 50% decrease in binding to DNA was almost sufficient to account for the increase in resistance. The level of melphalan-induced DNA interstrand cross-links, which were heat labile but not alkali labile, reached a maximum during the 4-hr treatment period and then declined slowly. The degree of cross-linking in MM253-12M was 50% less than that in MM253. Unlike ultraviolet light, methyl methanesulfonate, and nitrogen mustard, melphalan at equitoxic doses did not damage the DNA sufficiently to immediately inhibit DNA synthesis. Although both lines were proficient for repair of ultraviolet light and methyl methane sulfonate damage, melphalan did not induce significant levels of DNA repair synthesis and had little effect on the rate of DNA chain elongation. In MM253 cells, strand breaks were detected only at high melphalan doses; MM253-12M formed breaks more readily. This evidence suggests that the cross-linking events and that developed resistance arises from decreased susceptibility to DNA to this damage.

Sensitivity of human melanoma cells to L-dopa and DL-buthionine (S,R)-sulfoximine.

Four of seven human melanoma cell lines were sensitive to killing by L-dopa (D37 1.0-4.7 microM) compared with fibroblasts, Hela, and three ovarian tumor cell lines (D37 12-59 microM). All seven melanoma lines, however, were sensitive to DL-buthionine(S,R)sulfoximine (BSO) (D37 0.73-8.5 microM) compared with the nonmelanoma cells (D37 25-68 microM). The melanoma line most sensitive to BSO (MM418) was highly melanized, proliferated slowly and was resistant to other agents [dopa, 5-(3-methyl-1-triazeno)5-imidazole-4-carboxamide, melphalan, methotrexate, hydroxyurea, etoposide, Adriamycin]. In most cell lines, L-dopa and BSO blocked cell proliferation in all phases of the cell cycle. Cellular sensitivity to dopa or BSO did not correlate with levels of total soluble SH, glutathione (GSH), GSH reductase, GSH peroxidase or GSH transferase, or with the extent of GSH depletion induced by the drug. No GSH transferase activity could be detected in the dopa-resistant HeLa line, indicating that detoxification of quinones is not an important mechanism of resistance. Within the group of melanoma cell lines, sensitivity to dopa correlated with decreased level of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (r = 0.81). However, the gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase inhibitor azaserine was less effective than BSO in enhancing the toxicity of dopa. It can be inferred that (a) there is no simple relationship between GSH metabolism and sensitivity to dopa or BSO in human melanoma cells, and (b) BSO may be an effective agent for melanoma.

Effects of calcium depletion on human cells in vitro and the anomalous behavior of the human melanoma cell line MM170.

Seven strains of normal human cells (fibroblastic, skin epithelioid, and amniotic) ceased to proliferate in medium depleted of free calcium ion by titration with ethylenebis(oxyethylenenitrilo)tetraacetic acid (EGTA), whereas the growth of 9 of 10 human melanoma cell lines was not affected. Fibroblasts showed a rapid drop in thymidine pool size and decreased incorporation of thymidine and uridine when treated with EGTA, followed during the next 48 hr by a decrease in plasma membrane potential and by development of a proliferative block in the G1 phase of the cell cycle. The calcium-independent melanoma line MM96 exhibited an early decrease in thymidine pool size and enhanced incorporation of nucleosides but continued to proliferate with little perturbation of the cell cycle or change in membrane potential. Tumor cell DNA may therefore be selectively labeled in the presence of normal cells. The anomalous, calcium-dependent melanoma line (MM170) showed an immediate increase in the thymidine pool size and in nucleoside incorporation and subsequently accumulated in G1 and G2 with diminution of membrane potential and of DNA and RNA synthesis. The proliferative block in MM170 cells could be reversed by addition of calcium ion or by replacement with control medium. Addition to the medium of all 8 nucleosides (50 microM), singly or together, did not prevent EGTA-induced cytostasis in fibroblasts or MM170; transport of thymidine across the cell membrane was enhanced by 24-hr EGTA treatment in fibroblasts, MM96, and MM170. Thus, although calcium affected thymidine utilization rapidly and differently in each of the three cell types, nucleoside starvation per se did not appear to be responsible for either type of proliferative block.

Relationships among cell survival, O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase activity, and reactivation of methylated adenovirus 5 and herpes simplex virus type 1 in human melanoma cell lines.

O6-Alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (ATase) activity and host cell reactivation (HCR) of 5-(3-methyl-1-triazeno)imidazole-4-carboxamide (MTIC)-methylated viruses were compared in human melanoma cell lines that were sensitive or resistant to killing by the antitumor DNA-methylating agent MTIC. Enhanced HCR of adenovirus 5 (defined as the Mer+ phenotype) generally showed a semiquantitative correlation with the natural or induced resistance of the host cells to the toxic effects of MTIC and to the level of ATase activity. However, one MTIC-resistant cell line was found (MM170) which had a low level of ATase and intermediate HCR of adenovirus. The HCR of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) was enhanced in the Mer+ cells that had natural resistance to MTIC compared with Mer- cells. On the other hand, HCR of HSV-1 in Mer+ cells with induced resistance to MTIC was similar to that in Mer- cells. Neither adenovirus 5 nor HSV-1 infection induced ATase activity in Mer- cells. This indicates that resistance to the toxic effects of methylating agents is not invariably associated with high levels of ATase activity in human melanoma cells. Furthermore, while induction of the Mer+ phenotype from Mer- cells was usually accompanied by the recovery of ATase activity, induced Mer+ cells had less proficient repair than natural Mer+ cells, as judged quantitatively by slightly lower cellular resistance and qualitatively by deficient HCR response for HSV-1. These results suggest that the Mer- and induced Mer+ cells lack an ATase-independent DNA repair mechanism. No differences in MTIC-induced DNA repair synthesis or strand breaks were found between the Mer-, natural Mer+, and induced Mer+ phenotypes. However, UV-induced DNA repair synthesis was higher in the natural Mer+ than in the Mer- or induced Mer+ cells, both of which had increased cellular sensitivity to the antimetabolites methotrexate and hydroxyurea. These differences may be related to the effects observed with MTIC. A wide range of ATase activities was found in human melanoma biopsy material.

CDKN2A/p16 is inactivated in most melanoma cell lines.

The CDKN2A gene maps to chromosome 9p21-22 and is responsible for melanoma susceptibility in some families. Its product, p16, binds specifically to CDK4 and CDK6 in vitro and in vivo, inhibiting their kinase activity. CDKN2A is homozygously deleted or mutated in a large proportion of tumor cell lines and some primary tumors, including melanomas. The aim of this study was to investigate the involvement of CDKN2A and elucidate the mechanisms of p16 inactivation in a panel of 60 cell lines derived from sporadic melanomas. Twenty-six (43%) of the melanoma lines were homozygously deleted for CDKN2A, and an additional 15 (25%) lines carried missense, nonsense, or frameshift mutations. All but one of the latter group were shown by microsatellite analysis to be hemizygous for the region of 9p surrounding CDKN2A. p16 was detected by Western blotting in only five of the cell lines carrying mutations. Immunoprecipitation of p16 in these lines, followed by Western blotting to detect the coprecipitation of CDK4 and CDK6, revealed that p16 was functionally compromised in all cell lines but the one that carried a heterozygous CDKN2A mutation. In the remaining 19 lines that carried wild-type CDKN2A alleles, Western blot analysis and immunoprecipitation indicated that 11 cell lines expressed a wild-type protein. Northern blotting was performed on the remaining eight cell lines and revealed that one cell line carried an aberrantly sized RNA transcript, and two other cell lines failed to express RNA. The promoter was found to be methylated in five cell lines that expressed CDKN2A transcript but not p16. Presumably, the message seen by Northern blotting in these cell lines is the result of cross-hybridization of the total cDNA probe with the exon 1beta transcript. Microsatellite analysis revealed that the majority of these cell lines were hemi/homozygous for the region surrounding CDKN2A, indicating that the wild-type allele had been lost. In the 11 cell lines that expressed functional p16, microsatellite analysis revealed loss of heterozygosity at the markers immediately surrounding CDKN2A in five cases, and the previously characterized R24C mutation of CDK4 was identified in one of the remaining 6 lines. These data indicate that 55 of 60 (92%) melanoma cell lines demonstrated some aberration of CDKN2A or CDK4, thus suggesting that this pathway is a primary genetic target in melanoma development.

Evidence for u.v. induction of CDKN2 mutations in melanoma cell lines.

The CDKN2 gene, encoding the cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor p16, is a tumour suppressor gene involved in melanoma and maps to chromosome band 9p22. Mutations or interstitial deletions of this gene have been found both in the germline of familial melanoma cases and somatically in melanoma cell lines. Previous mutation analyses of melanoma cell lines have indicated a high frequency of C:G to T:A transitions, with all of these mutations occurring at dipyrimidine sites. Including three melanoma cell lines carrying tandem CC to TT mutations, the spectrum of mutations so far reported indicates a possible role for u.v. radiation in the mutagenesis of this gene in some tumours. To further examine this hypothesis we have characterised mutations of the CDKN2 gene in 30 melanoma cell lines. Nineteen lines carried complete or partial homozygous deletions of the gene. Of the remaining cell lines, eight were shown by direct sequencing of PCR products from exon 1 and exon 2 to carry a total of nine different mutations of CDKN2. Two cell lines carried tandem CC to TT mutations and a high rate of C:G to T:A transitions was observed. This study provides further evidence for the role of u.v. light in the genesis of melanoma, with one target being the CDKN2 tumour suppressor gene.

Refined localization of the melanoma (MLM) gene on chromosome 9p by analysis of allelic deletions.

Various lines of evidence including linkage analysis, frequent homozygous and heterozygous deletions in melanoma DNAs, and the finding of a patient with multiple primary melanomas who harbours a 5p/9p translocation involving loss of several 9p markers, have indicated that the 9p22-p13 region harbours a gene important for the development of melanoma (MLM). We have used eight short tandem repeat polymorphism (STRP) markers mapping to this region to look for allelic losses in DNA from melanoma biopsies and cell lines. Heterozygous losses were found in 8/14 (57%) fresh melanoma biopsy DNAs with the smallest region of overlap (SRO) being between IFNA and D9S169. In addition, when DNA from 30 melanoma cell lines was studied, four cell lines (13%) were found to be homozygously deleted for various 9p markers. Two of these cell lines define the borders of overlapping homozygous deletions within a 4cM region of 9p21 between IFNA and D9S171. Moreover, a further 14 melanoma cell lines were hemizygous for the IFNA/D9S171/D9S126 region. These data support the hypothesis that the MLM gene acts as a tumour suppressor, and provide a refinement of its localization on 9p.

The brn-2 gene regulates the melanocytic phenotype and tumorigenic potential of human melanoma cells.

The Oct transcription factors N-Oct-3 and N-Oct-5 are differentially expressed in normal melanocytes, melanoma tumors and cell lines. We have cloned the human brn-2 gene and have shown that it encodes both the N-Oct-3 and N-Oct-5 octamer binding activities detected in melanoma cells. The brn-2 genomic locus has been mapped to chromosome 6q16 and although chromosomal aberrations are common in this region in melanoma, no deletion or rearrangement of the brn-2 gene in melanoma cell lines was observed. Sequencing of the entire gene showed that there are no intervening sequences within the open reading frame. Antisense RNA-mediated inhibition of brn-2 gene expression in melanoma cells was associated with a change in morphology and loss of melanocytic and neural crest markers, including the melanocyte transcription factor microphthalmia and the TYRP pigmentation genes. In addition, loss of brn-2 in these cells resulted in the complete loss of ability to form tumors in SCID and nu/nu mice. These results suggest roles for brn-2 in the determination of the melanocytic lineage and in the tumorigenic phenotype of melanoma.

Frequent loss of heterozygosity on chromosome 18 in ovarian adenocarcinoma which does not always include the DCC locus.

Inactivation of the DCC gene on chromosome 18 owing to loss of heterozygosity is a common finding in colorectal cancer. Because both ovarian and colon cancer are features of Lynch syndrome II, which has been provisionally mapped to chromosome 18, we hypothesized that loss of heterozygosity at the DCC locus may also occur in ovarian neoplasia. Fifty-two sporadic ovarian adenocarcinoma tumours were analysed by Southern blotting for loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at six chromosome 18 loci. Overall, tumours from 31 patients (60%) showed allelic loss at one or more of these loci. A similarly high level of LOH, 66%, was found at D17S5 (17p13.3). In contrast, moderate levels of LOH, of 31%, 39% and 33%, were found at MYCL1 (1p32), D1S57 (1p) and D14S20 (14q32.33) respectively. However, analysis of partial chromosome deletions in 11 patients indicates that the smallest region of overlap appears to exclude the DCC gene but to be between the D18S5 and D18S11 loci. This suggests that another locus, as well as or apart from DCC, may be involved.

Inhibition of retinoblastoma protein translation by UVB in human melanocytic cells and reduced cell cycle arrest following repeated irradiation.

In human melanocytes and a human melanoma cell line (MM96L), the level of the retinoblastoma gene product (pRB) detected by Western blotting transiently decreased to 55% and 70% of controls respectively 9-12 h after a noncytostatic exposure (75 Jm-2) to UVB (280-315 nm) and to 2% and 14% 48 h after a cytostatic exposure (300 Jm-2). The pRB levels in fibroblasts and HeLa showed minimal loss, and under some conditions increased compared with unirradiated cells. Equitoxic doses of gamma radiation, cisplatin or the antimetabolite deoxyinosine had little effect on pRB levels. UVC (254 nm) was less inhibitory compared with equitoxic UVB. No loss of pRB mRNA was found in MM96L after UVB, nor was pRB protein stability significantly affected. Synthesis of new pRB in MM96L 24 h after UVB was 16% of controls, suggesting that loss of pRB results from a UVB-specific inhibition of translation. Compared with HeLa cells and fibroblasts, MM96L cells exhibited reduced cycle arrest if irradiated when pRB was depleted by a previous UVB exposure. These results suggest a mechanism whereby down-regulation of pRB translation by UVB may play a role in genesis of melanoma.

Inhibition of melanization in human melanoma cells by a serotonin uptake inhibitor.

Significant levels of intracellular catecholamines were found in a human melanoma cell line and were enhanced by increasing the extracellular tyrosine concentration. Intracellular dopa, 5-cysteinyldopa, tyrosinase, and melanin also rose under these conditions. 5-HT (serotonin) was synthesized by the melanoma cells but further study was hindered by the high level of 5-HT in fetal calf serum. A 5-HT uptake antagonist, DU 24565 (6-nitroquipazine), was employed as an alternative method for studying 5-HT action. This compound, which in contrast to tunicamycin had no inhibitory effects on cell proliferation or tyrosinase activity, strongly inhibited melanization and decreased the levels of dopa, 5-cysteinyldopa, dopamine, noradrenaline, adrenaline, and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid. DU 24565 had little effect on 5-HT or tyrosine accumulation in these cells but suppressed the uptake of extracellular dopa. The results show that human melanoma cells synthesize a wide range of biogenic amines in culture and suggest a new approach to regulating intracellular levels of dopa and of a variety of dopa products.

Rapid and reversible inhibition of tyrosinase activity by glucosidase inhibitors in human melanoma cells.

The dependence of constitutively expressed tyrosinase (dopa oxidase) activity on glycosylation in lightly pigmented human melanoma cells (MM96E) was determined using tunicamycin (TM), which prevents transfer of oligosaccharide chains to nascent protein (core glycosylation), the glucosidase inhibitors castanospermine (CS) and deoxynojirimycin (dNM), and the mannosidase inhibitors deoxymannojirimycin (dMM) and swainsonine (SW). TM caused irreversible inhibition of tyrosinase activity and carbohydrate synthesis as judged by incorporation of 3H-fucose. Tyrosinase in CS- and dNM-treated cells showed 50% loss of activity within 5 h but recovered rapidly when the drugs were removed; dMN and SW had little effect. Expression of the tyrosinase 2B7 epitope and of an 80-kDa melanosomal antigen (B8G3) was inhibited by TM but not by CS, dNM, dMM, or SW. CS and dNM appeared to decrease the half-life of active tyrosinase. Overall, these results indicate that 1) in addition to the requirement for core glycosylation the removal of glucose residues plays a critical role in the formation of active human tyrosinase; 2) glucosidase inhibitors appear to cause an accumulation of inactive tyrosinase and increase the degradation rate of active enzyme; and 3) later stages in oligosaccharide processing are not required for maintaining tyrosinase activity.