title: Alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone inhibits NF-kappaB activation in human melanocytes and melanoma cells.
abstract: Alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone is produced by several different cell types including neural cells, endothelial cells, monocytes, and keratinocytes. A biologic role in melanocyte pigmentation is widely recognized, but more recent studies describe a part in modulating inflammatory and immune responses. The aim of the this study was to investigate the mechanism by which alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone antagonizes proinflammatory cytokine action. We report that alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (10-9 M) was effective in opposing a tumor necrosis factor-alpha stimulated increase in NF-kappaB DNA binding activity in: (i) normal ocular melanocytes; (ii) cells cultured from ocular melanoma tumors; and (iii) two cutaneous melanoma cell lines. NF-kappaB is activated by many inflammatory mediators and controls transcription of genes required for immune and inflammatory responses. The transcription factor complex was positively identified as the p50/p65 heterodimer, recognized to have transcriptional activating potential. Maximum reduction of NF-kappaB DNA binding activity with alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone was detected 2 h after cellular stimulation and varied from between 53% and 18% depending on cell type. Whereas the acute inhibitory effects could be mimicked by elevating cyclic adenosine monophosphate, alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone was not found to have any effect on the relative level of IkappaBalpha protein expression over 24 h. These data show that alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone has a pronounced effect on NF-kappaB activity in melanocytes and melanoma cells, identifying a specific dimeric complex, and suggest this to be a key pathway by which immunomodulation/anti-inflammation may operate. The results may also be considered in the broader context of general inflammatory pathologies concerning cells which express alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone receptors and utilize the NF-kappaB signaling pathway.
authors.affiliation: University Division of Clinical Sciences, Section of Medicine, Clinical Sciences Center, Northern General Hospital, Sheffield, UK. j.w.haycock@shef.ac.uk
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Haycock
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Morandini
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ghanem
authors.forename: I G
authors.initials: IG
authors.lastname: Rennie
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mac Neil
mesh_terms: D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006801:Humans; D008544:Melanocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D008545:Melanoma / Q000276:immunology*; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000502:physiology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000494:pharmacology; D000521:alpha-MSH / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D016328:NF-kappa B; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D000521:alpha-MSH