title: Modulatory growth effects of 3T3 fibroblasts on cocultivated human melanoma cells.
abstract: Normal epidermal melanocytes are stimulated in vitro by fibroblast- and keratinocyte-derived growth factors. In this work, the paracrine responsiveness of human melanoma cells was investigated by cocultivation with growth-inhibited 3T3 fibroblasts. In short-term assays (3-4 days), melanoma cell growth was found to be improved if the cells were plated onto half-confluent 3T3 cell monolayers. In contrast, long-term cocultivation (greater than 7 days) resulted in significant growth inhibition of melanoma cells. These phenomena were not observed when melanoma cells were grown in 3T3 cell supernatants, which suggests a possible mediation by extracellular matrix components and/or by heterologous junctional communications.
authors.affiliation: Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Department of Dermatology, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Benathan
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pararas
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Frenk
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002450:Cell Communication; D002455:Cell Division; D002460:Cell Line; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D051379:Mice