Effects of L-glutamine on tyrosinase and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase of B-16 melanoma cells in culture

Inhibition of melanin synthesis by cystamine in human melanoma cells

In studies to determine whether pigmentation can be regulated physiologically by thiols, human melanoma cells (MM418c5) and melanocytes were found to become depigmented when cultured continuously in 50 microM cystamine. Cystamine was depleted from the culture medium and the treatment was nontoxic and reversible. Cysteamine, dithiothreitol, and phenylthiourea were less effective, and glutathione, cysteine, and cystine were inactive. Tyrosinase (dopa oxidase) activity was not greatly affected except for induction of a lag period. In contrast, tyrosinase activity in an amelanotic melanoma cell line (MM96L) was rapidly inhibited without consumption of cystamine/cysteamine, in association with the generation of free thiol in the culture medium, and could be enhanced by the cystine transport inhibitor, glutamate. Tyrosinase expressed by a recombinant vaccinia virus was inhibited by cystamine treatment of MM96L and HeLa cells. Cystamine treatment lowered the degree of cross-linking of the pigmentation antigen gp75/TRP-1 in MM418c5 cells. Tyrosinase protein and mRNA levels in MM418c5 cells were not affected by cystamine. The results show that cystamine at a concentration close to physiologic levels has multiple effects on the melanogenic pathway. In amelanotic cells, tyrosinase has a short half-life and is readily inhibited by cystamine/cysteamine whereas tyrosinase in the more mature melanosomes of the pigmented cell appears to be less accessible to proteolytic and thiol attack. Inhibition of melanin synthesis in the latter cell type may arise to a significant degree from reduction of cystamine to cysteamine, which sequesters quinones.

Alteration of melanoma melanogenesis by phenotypic modifiers

Human melanoma cells (MM96E) were incubated with a phenotypic modifier (L-ethionine) to compare its effects on phenotypic expression with those induced by sodium butyrate and dimethyl sulfoxide. In contrast to the latter agents, L-ethionine (8mM) failed to arrest the cell cycle at the G1 phase or to inhibit colony formation ability after 48 hr incubation. Tyrosinase activity changed in parallel with 5-S-cysteinyldopa (5-S-CD) content during treatment with sodium butyrate or dimethyl sulfoxide. Tyrosinase was inhibited in L-ethionine-treated cells, probably because of metabolism of L-ethionine to sulfhydryl compounds; this remains to be clarified. Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase activity changed inversely with tyrosinase activity after sodium butyrate or dimethyl sulfoxide incubation, whereas L-ethionine did not significantly alter the enzyme activity. In addition, only sodium butyrate induced alkaline phosphatase activity. L-ethionine was less effective than sodium butyrate or dimethyl sulfoxide in inhibiting expression of the B8G3 melanosomal antigen, as determined by Western blotting. These results suggest that phenotypic modifiers (differentiation inducers) affect melanoma cells in various ways and that melanogenesis therefore reflects only one aspect of differentiation in pigment cells.

Effect of dopa-loading on glutathione metabolising enzymes and tyrosinase in relation to 5-S-cysteinyl-dopa genesis in cultured B-16 melanoma cells

The effect of DOPA and glutathione (GSH) on enzyme systems for 5-S-cysteinyl-DOPA (5SCD) genesis in murine melanoma cells cultured in tyrosine- and cystine-free medium were studied. DOPA at its optimum concentration (10(-5) M) when added alone did not alter tyrosinase, glutathione-S-transferase or gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase activities. In the presence of GSH at its optimum concentration (10(-5) M), DOPA loading did not cause any significant changes in tyrosinase or glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activities. This indicates that the higher 5SCD levels observed in the medium because of DOPA loading in the GSH dependent system results from increased substrate availability rather than the increased enzyme activity. An acute drop in 5SCD at DOPA concentrations above 10(-5) M observed in the GSH dependent system may be due to the inhibition of tyrosinase at high substrate concentrations (10(-4) M). Conversely, in the presence of DOPA, when GSH was increased, the resultant higher production of 5SCD could be explained by the increased activity of GST. When added alone, GSH (10(-5) M) caused a significant increase in GST (approximately 125%) and gamma-GTP (approximately 50%) activities. A drop in 5SCD in the medium when GSH was added beyond its optimum concentration (10(-5) M) in the DOPA-dependent system could be due to competitive inhibition of gamma-GTP by GSH. The data demonstrate that 5SCD genesis may be enhanced due to the accumulation of cytotoxic melanin precursors such as DOPA/DOPA quinone. The relative quantities of GSH at the sites of DOPA quinone formation and the levels of its metabolising enzymes can influence the type of product formed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

In vitro phenotypic alteration of human melanoma cells induced by differentiating agents: heterogeneous effects on cellular growth and morphology, enzymatic activity, and antigenic expression

Sodium butyrate (butyrate), 5-azacytidine (5Aza-C), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), and dimethyl formamide (DMF) were applied to a human melanoma cell line for the purpose of inducing pigmentation and terminal differentiation. The results are summarized as follows: 1) butyrate, DMSO, and DMF had a strong cytostatic effect, arresting cells in the G1 phase of the cycle; 2) butyrate caused a morphological change to spindle shape whereas DMSO and DMF produced rounded cells, without affecting the levels of vimentin and intermediate filaments; 3) tyrosinase activity and melanization were stimulated by DMSO and DMF but not by butyrate; 4) butyrate induced several membrane-bound enzyme activities (alkaline phosphatase and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase); 5) changes in the expression of antigens related to tyrosinase activity (2B7 and 5C12) only partly corresponded to the changes in enzyme activity; 6) expression of the melanosomal B8G3 antigen was decreased by butyrate, DMSO, and DMF; and 7) the action of DMF resembled that of DMSO whereas 5Aza-C had little effect. The results indicate that these differentiating agents activate different sets of genes, the melanogenic pathway being activated independently of gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase. The down regulation of B8G3 antigen by these agents may provide a common focus for understanding the essential action of differentiation inducers in melanoma cells.