Melanoma × Macrophage Fusion Hybrids Acquire Increased Melanogenesis and Metastatic Potential: Altered N-Glycosylation as an Underlying Mechanism

We recently reported that a majority of hybrids generated in vitro between weakly metastatic mouse Cloudman S91 melanoma cells and human or mouse macrophages showed enhanced metastatic potential. With few exceptions, hybrids with enhanced metastatic potential also had elevated basal melanin content and increased responsiveness to MSH compared to parental cells. Here we investigated the hybrid melanotic phenotype in more detail, comparing the pigmentary systems of hybrids and parental Cloudman S91 cells by several techniques. Cells were studied by electron microscopy, cell lysates were analyzed for tyrosinase (E.C.1.14.18.1) activity, and melanosomal proteins were analyzed by gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting. Melanosomes in parental Cloudman melanoma cells were few in number and relatively amorphous, whereas those in the hybrids were numerous and heavily pigmented, containing highly organized lattice structures. Both basal and MSH-inducible tyrosinase activities were elevated several fold in hybrids compared to parental cells. Tyrosinase, TRP-2, and LAMP-1 from hybrids migrated more slowly on gels compared to the same proteins from parental melanoma cells, consistent with increased glycosylation. Migration of LAMP-1 from hybrids was similar to that from peritoneal macrophages, which also appeared to be more heavily glycosylated than LAMP-1 from Cloudman cells. By using ³H-glucosamine as a marker of N-glycosylation, its incorporation into tyrosinase and LAMP-1 was found to be elevated in hybrids, suppressed by N-glycosylation inhibitors, and stimulated by MSH to a greater degree in hybrids compared to parental cells. These results indicate N-glycosylation as an important regulatory pathway for MSH-induced melanogenesis and further suggest that altered N-linked glycosylation may be an underlying mechanism for regulation of both melanogenesis and metastasis in macrophage x melanoma hybrids.     

A new role for epidermal cell-derived thymocyte activating factor/IL-1 as an antagonist for distinct epidermal cell function

It is known that many immunologic responses to IL-1 are antagonized by the neuropeptide alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH). This led us to investigate the possible reciprocal effects of IL-1 and the functionally related epidermal cytokines, epidermal cell-derived thymocyte activating factor (ETAF) and IL-6, on the melanogenic effect of alpha-MSH on murine Cloudman melanoma cells. When these cells were treated with ETAF in combination with alpha-MSH or its potent analog [Nle4,D-Phe7]-alpha-MSH, the melanotropin induced increase in tyrosinase activity, and thus melanin synthesis, was abrogated. This inhibitory effect of ETAF was not mediated by competitive binding to the melanotropin receptor, because ETAF also blocked the melanogenic response of melanoma cells to isobutyl methylxanthine (IBMX) and to PGE1 and PGE2. ETAF had no effect on cellular proliferation. Inhibition of the stimulated tyrosinase activity by ETAF was not due to diminished cAMP synthesis or increased cAMP degradation. Cells treated concomitantly with ETAF and alpha-MSH, IBMX, or PGE1 had the same cAMP levels as cells treated with alpha-MSH, IBMX, or PGE1 alone. In contrast to ETAF, human rIL-1 alpha or IL-1 beta alone or in combination did not have an inhibitory effect on melanogenesis. IL-6 significantly inhibited the basal level of tyrosinase and partially abrogated the alpha-MSH-induced tyrosinase activity. IL-6 also stimulated cellular proliferation when added alone or in combination with alpha-MSH. Granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) did not alter either the tyrosinase activity or cellular replication at the concentrations tested. IL-1 alpha, GM-CSF, and IL-6 or IL-1 alpha and GM-CSF added together did not significantly affect the MSH-induced tyrosinase activity. These results ascribe a new potential function for ETAF and IL-6 as modulators of the melanogenic response of pigment cells.     

Stimulation of Cloudman melanoma tyrosinase activity occurs predominantly in G2 phase of the cell cycle

A widely accepted notion is that an increasing cellular cyclic AMP (cAMP) concentration is prerequisite for increasing tyrosinase activity and melanin synthesis and for regulating proliferation of pigment cells. alpha-Melanocyte stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) increases cAMP and tyrosinase activity in Cloudman melanoma cells. Prostaglandins (PGs) E1 and E2 increase melanoma cell tyrosinase activity and inhibit proliferation. Both PGs, but not alpha-MSH, block the progression of Cloudman melanoma cells from G2 phase of the cell cycle into M or G1. Only PGE1 and not PGE2 causes an elevation of cellular cAMP concentrations. The adenylate cyclase inhibitor 2',5'-dideoxyadenosine (DDA) at 5 x 10(-4) M effectively blocks the increased cAMP synthesis by cells treated with 10 micrograms/ml PGE1. The addition of DDA, however, enhances the melanogenic response of melanoma cells to 10 micrograms/ml PGE1 or PGE2, 10(-7) M alpha-MSH, 10(-4) M isobutylmethylxanthine, 10(-4) M dibutyryl cyclic AMP. DDA also augments the effects of PGE1 or PGE2 on the melanoma cell cycle. Moreover, when DDA is added concomitantly with alpha-MSH, more cells are recruited into G2 than observed in untreated controls. Neither alpha-MSH nor DDA alone has any effect on the cell cycle. These findings undermine the role of cAMP in the melanogenic process and suggest that blocking melanoma cells in G2 may be required for the remarkable stimulation of tyrosinase activity observed with PGE1 or PGE2 alone or in combination with DDA. The observed block in G2 may be essential for the synthesis of sufficient mRNA, which is required for stimulation of tyrosinase activity.     

Decay of hormone responsiveness in mouse melanoma cells in culture as a function of cell density

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.     

The role of adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate in the density-dependent regulation of growth and tyrosinase activity of B-16 melanoma cells.

Incubation of cultured B-16 melanoma cells with 1-methyl-3-isobutyl xanthine (MIX) produced a sustained rise in intracellular adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) which preceded an increase in the specific activity of tyrosinase (EC 1.10.3.1). Cultures of two clones of melanoma cells, one having a mean population doubling time twice that of the other, showed density-dependent inhibition of growth. The tyrosinase activity of each line increased progressively during logarithmic growth, reaching maximal values shortly after the cultures achieved confluence. Intracellular cAMP levels fell during logarithmic growth, being minimal in confluent cultures. The stimulatory effects of MIX and confluence on tyrosinase activity were additive. Cells plated at high density had a lower tyrosinase activity than cells allowed to achieve a similar density by successive division from sparsely planted cultures although the intracellular cAMP levels of such cultures were not different. We support the observations of other investigators that agents which increase intracellular cAMP concentrations can both inhibit cell division and stimulate tyrosinase activity. There are, however, mechanisms for increasing tyrosinase activity and inhibiting cell division which are expressed as B-16 melanoma cells approach confluence and which are not mediated by an increase in intracellular cAMP concentrations.     

Inhibition of tyrosinase activity and protein synthesis in melanoma cells by calcium ionophore A23187

Calcium ionophore A23187 lowers basal levels of tyrosinase and inhibits the MSH-induced increase in tyrosinase in Cloudman S-91 mouse melanoma cell cultures. Ionophore at a concentration of 10(-6) g/ml causes a 50% reduction in basal levels of tyrosinase and inhibits the MSH stimulated level of enzyme. Ionophore A23187 also inhibits the PGE1 mediated stimulation of tyrosinase, as well as the rise in enzyme activity observed in cells exposed to either theophylline (1 mM) or dbcAMP (10(-4)M). Ionophore does not affect basal levels of cyclic AMP nor the elevated levels produced by either MSH or PGE1, suggesting then, that the antagonistic activity of A23187 is localized to a point in the pathway of tyrosinase activation distal to the formation of cAMP. Ionophore causes a rapid and marked (greater than 50%) inhibition of cellular protein synthesis and it is possible that this calcium mobilizing compound may exert its inhibitory effects on tyrosinase activity by causing a general reduction in cellular translation. Since the inhibition of protein synthesis occurs in cells exposed to ionophore in either the presence or absence of calcium in the medium, it seems, likely that the ionophore may exert its effects by causing the release of calcium from intracellular sites.     

Inhibition of Tyrosinase Activity and Protein Synthesis in Melanoma Cells by Calcium lonophore A23187

Calcium ionophore A23187 lowers basal levels of tyrosinase and inhibits the MSH-induced increase in tyrosinase in Cloudman S-91 mouse melanoma cell cultures. lonophore at a concentration of 10^–6 g/ml causes a 50% reduction in basal levels of tyrosinase and inhibits the MSH stimulated level of enzyme. lonophore A23187 also inhibits the PGEi mediated stimulation of tyrosinase, as well as the rise in enzyme activity observed in cells exposed to either theophylline (1 mM) or dbcAMP (10^–4M). lonophore does not affect basal levels of cyclic AMP nor the elevated levels produced by either MSH or PGEi, suggesting then, that the antagonistic activity of A23187 is localized to a point in the pathway of tyrosinase activation distal to the formation of cAMP. lonophore causes a rapid and marked (> 50%) inhibition of cellular protein synthesis and it is possible that this calcium mobilizing compound may exert its inhibitory effects on tyrosinase activity by causing a general reduction in cellular translation. Since the inhibition of protein synthesis occurs in cells exposed to ionophore in either the presence or absence of calcium in the medium, it seems, likely that the ionophore may exert its effects by causing the release of calcium from intracellular sites.     

Alteration of the Cloudman melanoma cell cycle by prostaglandins E1 and E2 determined by using a 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine method of DNA analysis

Prostaglandins (PGs) E1 and E2 stimulate tyrosinase activity and suppress the proliferation of Cloudman S91 melanoma cells by altering their progression through the cell cycle. Prostaglandin E1 and PGE2 have prolonged or residual effects on melanoma cells. Cells treated for 5 or 24 hours with 10 micrograms/ml PGE1 or cells treated for 8 or 24 hours with 10 micrograms/ml PGE2 demonstrated decreased proliferation and increased tyrosinase activity for 48 hours after removal of the PGs. The effects of PGs on the cell cycle were investigated by determining total DNA content in cells stained with propidium iodide (PI) and analyzed by a fluorescence activated cell sorter (FACS). Prostaglandin E1 blocked cells in G2 phase after 5 hours of treatment, corresponding to when inhibition of proliferation was first evident. Similarly, after 9 hours of treatment with PGE2, more cells were in late S, early G2 phase and less in G1 than their control counterparts. Also, melanoma cells were pulse-labeled with 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdUrd) prior to or at the end of PG treatment and then stained with a fluoresceinated monoclonal antibody to BrdUrd, and with PI. This allows one to observe how BrdUrd-labeled S-phase cells cycle with time. Both PGE1 and PGE2 inhibit proliferation by blocking cells in G2 phase of the cell cycle. The PG-induced block in G2 may be required by melanoma cells to synthesize mRNA and proteins that are essential for stimulation of tyrosinase activity. Ultrastructurally, only a subpopulation of the cells treated with PGE1 or PGE2 contained more mature melanosomes than control cells.     

Glucocorticoid modulation of adrenocorticotropin-induced melanogenesis in the Cloudman S-91 melanoma in vitro.

The acute in vitro action of adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) and corticosterone alone and in combination were determined in the Cloudman S-91 melanoma grown in vivo. Hormone-treated melanoma dice (5-240 min) were analyzed for tyrosinase activity (EC 1.14.18.1), cyclic AMP (cAMP) and cyclic GMP (cGMP). ACTH elevated cAMP levels in the S-91 melanoma. However, these increases in cAMP were not accompanied by increased tyrosinase activity. Corticosterone depressed cAMP levels while stimulating tyrosinase activity. ACTH plus corticosterone produced an early cAMP peak followed by depression. ACTH plus corticosterone stimulated tyrosine activity coincident with the early cAMP peak followed by a drop in tyrosinase activity which was subsequently elevated. cGMP levels were not altered by any hormone treatment. The results indicate that cAMP is not the sole modulator of tyrosinase activity and suggest the interaction of ACTH, corticosterone and cAMP in the regulation of melanoma tyrosinase activity.     

Acute effects of two melanocytolytic agents, hydroquinone and beta-mercaptoethanolamine, upon tyrosinase activity and cyclic nucleotide levels in murine melanomas

The acute in vitro actions of two potent melanocytolytic agents, hydroquinone (HQ) and beta-mercaptoethanolamine (MEA), were determined in the B-16, Cloudman S-91 and Harding-Passey (HP) murine melanomas grown in vivo. Drug treated melanoma dice (5--480 min) were analyzed for tyrosinase activity and cyclic nucleotide levels (cAMP, cGMP). HQ and MEA effects on tyrosinase activity are complex and vary with tumor type, duration of treatment and agent tested. MEA or HQ inhibited B-16 tyrosinase activity. With combined drug therapy, low concentrations of MEA plus HQ stimulate B-16 tyrosinase activity while high concentrations of the drugs have little effect on enzymatic activity. MEA depresses tyrosinase activity while HQ elevates enzymatic activity in the S-19 melanoma. Both high and low concentrations of the combined drugs (MEA plus HQ) elicit the same response, stimulation at 10 min followed by continued depression of tyrosinase activity for the remainder of the 4 h study period. MEA initially stimulates HP tyrosinase activity followed by depression of enzymic activity. In contrast, HQ initially depresses HP tyrosinase activity followed by stimulation of enzyme activity. In combination the drugs inhibit HP tyrosinase activity. The effects of MEA and/or HQ on murine melanoma cyclic nucleotide levels are equally complex. MEA or HQ elevate cAMP and cGMP levels in all three tumors with the exception of S-91 cGMP levels which are not altered. In combination the drugs increase cyclic nucleotide levels in each of the three tumor types but at different times. No correlation is present between cyclic nucleotide levels and tyrosinase activity. Thus, the action of increased cyclic nucleotide levels in melanogenesis can not be separated from the direct actions of MEA and HQ upon melanogenesis. The divergent effects of MEA and/or HQ on tyrosinase activity and cyclic nucleotide levels in these melanomas are not correlated with the known in vivo melanocytolytic activity of these drugs. Thus, these parameters appear to be inadequate indicators of melanoma cell viability in chemotherapeutic screening of drugs effective in destroying malignant melanoma.     

Inhibition of induced melanogenesis in cloudman melanoma cells by four phenotypic modifiers

Retinoic acid, hexamethylene bisacetamide, sodium butyrate, and dimethylsulfoxide, four compounds which modulate phenotypic expression in a variety of neoplastic cell lines, all inhibited the induction of tyrosinase activity and melanogenesis by the combination of melanocyte-stimulating hormone and isobutylmethyxanthine in Cloudman S91 melanoma cells. Results were the same in assays of whole cells or in extracts made from them. Only retinoic acid, however, was effective at inhibiting the activation of dopachrome isomerase, another regulatory enzyme in melanogenesis. Despite inhibiting the effects of melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH) and isobutylmethylxanthine on tyrosinase activity, all of the agents tested increased the binding of MSH to intact cells. Ultrastructural analysis of treated cells following DOPA cytochemistry revealed that both retinoic acid and hexamethylene bisacetamide arrested melanosomal maturation at stage I-II. Retinoic acid resulted in a derangement of melanosomal structure. The specificity of these agents for preventing the induction of melanogenesis makes them powerful tools for the dissection of this complex cellular process.     

Regulation of tyrosinase in human melanocytes grown in culture

Tyrosinase, the enzyme that controls the synthesis of melanin, is a unique product of melanocytes. Normal and malignant human melanocytes grown in culture were used to study the factors that regulate the expression of tyrosinase. Immunoprecipitation experiments showed that newly synthesized tyrosinase appeared as a protein with an apparent molecular weight of 70,000 that was processed to a protein with an apparent molecular weight of 80,000. Neither tunicamycin nor 2-deoxy-D- glucose inhibited this conversion, suggesting that O-glycosylation is the major biochemical event in the posttranslational modification of tyrosinase. Agents that stimulated the proliferation of normal melanocytes also stimulated tyrosinase activity. Melanocytes with low levels of tyrosinase activity synthesized less tyrosinase, processed the enzyme more slowly, and degraded it more rapidly than melanocytes with high levels of tyrosinase activity. We conclude that tyrosinase activity in cultures of human melanocytes derived from different donors is determined predominantly by its abundance.     

Structural/functional relationships between internal and external MSH receptors: modulation of expression in Cloudman melanoma cells by UVB radiation

Expression of internal receptors for MSH is an important criterion for responsiveness to MSH by Cloudman melanoma cells (Orlow et al: J. Cell. Physiol., 142:129-136, 1990). Here, we show that internal and external receptors for MSH are of identical molecular weights (50-53 kDa) and share common antigenic determinants, indicating a structural relationship between the 2 populations of molecules. The internal receptors co-purified with a sub-cellular fraction highly enriched for small vesicles, many of which were coated. Ultraviolet B light (UVB) acted synergistically with MSH to increase tyrosinase activity and melanin content of cultured Cloudman melanoma cells, consistent with previous findings in the skin of mice and guinea pigs (Bolognia et al: J. Invest. Derm., 92:651-656, 1989). Preceding the rise in tyrosinase activity in cultured cells, UVB elicited a decrease in internal MSH binding sites and a concomitant increase in external sites. The time frame for the UVB effects on MSH receptors and melanogenesis, 48 hours, was similar to that for a response to solar radiation in humans. Together, the results indicate a key role for MSH receptors in the induction of melanogenesis by UVB and suggest a potential mechanism of action for UVB: redistribution of MSH receptors with a resultant increase in cellular responsiveness to MSH.     

The effects of pro-opiomelanocortin peptides on cyclic AMP and tyrosinase in melanoma cells

Des-, mono-, and diacetylated melanotropin (des-, mono-, and di-Ac MSH, respectively) were compared for their dose-related effects on content of adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate (cAMP) and tyrosinase activity in the Cloudman S91 mouse melanoma tumor. Des-Ac MSH was more potent than the acetylated forms of MSH at increasing cellular levels of cAMP; mono- and di-Ac MSHs, however, were more potent than des-Ac MSH at elevating the activity of the enzyme, tyrosinase. Lysine-gamma1 MSH, a melanotropin from the amino terminus of pro-opiomelanocortin, exhibited slight stimulatory effects on tyrosinase and these actions were less than additive to those of mono-Ac MSH. Unlike their actions on amphibian skin-darkening or in mammalian behavior, neither beta-endorphin1-31 nor its derivatives, N-Ac-beta-endorphin1-27 or beta-endorphin30-31 (glycylglutamine), exhibited any influence on tyrosinase activity evoked by mono-Ac MSH in the tumor cells.     

Interactions between ultraviolet light and interleukin-1 on MSH binding in both mouse melanoma and human squamous carcinoma cells

Interactions between beta-melanotropin (MSH), interleukin 1-a (IL-1), and ultraviolet light (UV) were examined in Cloudman S91 mouse melanoma and RHEK human squamous carcinoma cell lines. The following points were established: 1) both cell lines produced IL-1 and their production was stimulated by exposure of the cells to UV; 2) both cell lines possessed high affinity binding sites for MSH, and their ability to bind MSH was modulated by IL-1; 3) IL-1 exhibited both stimulatory and inhibitory effects on MSH binding to Cloudman cells; and 4) the stimulatory effect of IL-1 on MSH binding to melanoma cells was reflected in enhanced cellular responsiveness to MSH regarding tyrosinase activity (E.C. 1.14.18.1) and melanin content. The findings raise the possibility that interactions between keratinocytes and melanocytes may be regulated by IL-1 and MSH, and suggest a possible mechanism for stimulation of cutaneous melanogenesis by solar radiation: enhancement of MSH receptor activity by induction of IL-1.