title: Growth inhibition of human melanoma-derived cells by 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol 13-acetate.
abstract: In vitro growth of 6 human melanoma-derived cell lines was inhibited markedly by the phorbol-ester tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol 13-acetate (TPA), a potent activator of several isoforms of protein kinase C (PKC). Utilizing PKC isoform-specific antibodies in immunoblotting experiments, we found that the PKC alpha and PKC epsilon isoforms were expressed in all of the 6 melanoma cell lines tested, whereas the PKC beta isoform was expressed at detectable levels in only 2 of the 6 cell lines. The SK-Mel-173 melanoma cell line, which had relatively high levels of PKC beta mRNA and protein expression, and which was also the most sensitive to cell growth inhibition by TPA, was used to isolate clones whose growth was less inhibited by TPA. Immunoblotting experiments revealed that in parental SK-Mel 173 cells PKC beta was rapidly down-regulated to below detectable levels after treatment for 48 hr with TPA, but that in TPA-resistant variant clones there was negligible down-regulation of PKC beta by TPA. On the other hand, treatment of parental and TPA-resistant SK-Mel 173 cells with TPA led to partial down-regulation of PKC alpha in both cell lines. Total PKC enzyme activity was also greater in TPA-resistant cells than in parental SK-Mel 173 cells. Our results show that TPA might inhibit the growth of melanoma cells by causing down-regulation of specific isoforms of PKC that are required to maintain the growth of these cells.
authors.affiliation: Columbia-Presbyterian Cancer Center, Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Arita
authors.forename: K R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: O'Driscoll
authors.forename: I B
authors.initials: IB
authors.lastname: Weinstein
mesh_terms: D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000187:drug effects; D015536:Down-Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008545:Melanoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology*; D011493:Protein Kinase C / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D007527:Isoenzymes; D011493:Protein Kinase C; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate