一类新型转录因子家族：信号转导剂和转录激活剂

信号转导剂和转录激活剂（ＳＴＡＴ）是近三四年才发现的一类新型转录因子家族。许多配体,尤其是细胞因子,能使ＳＴＡＴ的酪氨酶磷酸化而激活。激活的ＳＴＡＴ蛋白能形成同二聚体和异二聚体,进入细胞核内结合ＤＮＡ序列,调节多个基因表达。这些既在胞浆里起信号转导作用又在胞核内起激活转录作用的双功能蛋白质的发现,为细胞因子信号转导路通研究揭开了新的一页。     

Long-term and residual melanotropin-stimulated tyrosinase activity in S91 melanoma cells is density dependent

Summary Cell density is a factor that affects the capacity of Cloudman S91 melanoma cells to respond to melanotropins in monolayer culture. Continuous exposure of melanoma cells to α-melanotropin or its potent analog [Nle⁴,D-Phe⁷]-α-MSH, resulted in maximal stimulation of tyrosinase after 2 d of treatment, but the magnitude of stimulation decreased thereafter despite the continued presence of the melanotropins. However, when melanoma cells continually exposed to melanotropins were subcultured to an initial low cell density and maintained in contact with α-MSH or [Nle⁴,D-Phe⁷]-α-MSH (long-term culture), tyrosinase activity was rapidly restored and greatly enhanced. Also, when cells were seeded at initial densities ranging from 0.2 to 3.2×10⁶ cells/flask, and exposed for 24 h to 10⁻⁷ M α-MSH, only the cultures seeded at low densities (0.2 and 0.4×10⁶ cells/flask) exhibited maximal tyrosinase activity during the 24 h exposure to the melanotropins. Therefore, tyrosinase activity was primarily affected by cell density rather than by the duration of time the cells were in culture or by continuous exposure to melanotropin. Other flasks of various cell densities were treated with 10⁻⁷ M α-MSH or [Nle⁴,D-Phe⁷]-α-MSH for 24 h, followed byremoval of the melanotropins from the culture medium. The magnitude and duration of theresidual stimulation of melanoma tyrosinase activity by melanotropins were also found to be dependent on the initial cell density. These results reveal that there is a limited range of optimal cell densities at which melanoma cells can respond to melanotropins and express increased tyrosinase activity.