Metastatic variants of the B16 melanoma: metastasis is related to environmental conditions. Genetic and metabolic effects.
Using variant B16 metastatic melanomas, attempts were made to explore the effects of both genetic and metabolic environmental factors in vivo as well as in vitro, on specific steps in the metastatic process. Metastases of the progenitor tumour in black C57BL/6J mice arose from a stable, heritable, non-random, pre-existing subpopulation of metastatic cells. In vitro, the environment influenced both pigmentary and metastatic phenotypes of variant B16 metastatic melanomas. The possibility that cells from different strains may express a phenotype following reinoculation into syngeneic mice was also explored. The experimental results suggested that new, enhanced, heritable, metastasis-related characteristics can develop as a result of genetic changes in yellow Ay/a and C57BL/6J mice that are accompanied by pigmentary changes. Such genetic changes can determine unstable non-random and random epigenetic metastatic effects with enhancement in vivo or disappearance in vitro of spontaneous metastatic ability and of the number of metastases, as monitored by serial transfers of tumour cells in vivo.
Aubert
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Laboratoire de Recherches sur les Cancers Cutanés et de la Pigmentation, Unité 119 INSERM, Marseille, France.
D000818:Animals; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D008297:Male; D008546:Melanoma, Experimental / Q000235:genetics / Q000556:secondary*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D010641:Phenotype; D010858:Pigmentation