The effects of ultraviolet light on mammalian pigment cells in vitro

Melanin content of cultured human melanocytes and UV-induced cytotoxicity

Cultured melanocytes originating from persons with different skin phototypes were utilized for measurement of endonuclease sensitive sites induced by UVB and the determination of cell survival after UVA or UVB irradiation. During culture, the melanocytes largely maintained their phenotypic characteristics according to their original skin phototype. Total melanin concentrations were 4.9 times higher in the darker skin phototype (IV-VI) melanocytes when compared to the cells from lighter skin phototypes (I-III). Also phaeomelanin contents were higher (2.5 times) in the skin phototype (IV-VI) melanocytes which implies that the cells from light skin types contain less melanin, but a relatively high proportion of phaeomelanin. After UVB irradiation a stronger induction of endonuclease sensitive sites was found for melanocytes with a lower level of total melanin and a high content of pheomelanin. By measuring the clone forming ability in different melanocyte cultures after UVB irradiation, significant better survival was found in case of the cells with the higher melanin content. Despite the large variations in melanin content, no significant difference in survival after UVA irradiation could be demonstrated in this way. Our results suggest a protective effect of melanin for UVB and indicate the importance of the measurements of melanin content and composition when different parameters of UV-induced damage are studied in melanin producing cells.

Melanogenesis in cultured melanocytes can be substantially influenced by L-tyrosine and L-cysteine

We investigated the effect of varying concentration of 1-tyrosine and 1-cysteine in culture medium on melanin production by human skin melanocytes (skin phototype II/III). In addition to the analyses of dopa oxidase activity and total melanin, pheomelanin production in the cells was assessed by high-performance liquid chromatography determinations of pheomelanin degradation products, 3-aminotyrosine and 4-amino-3-hydroxyphenylalanine. As another marker for pheomelanin, melanosomal sulfur was determined by the use of X-ray microanalysis. With varying concentration of both amino acids, profound changes in the pigmentation patterns of the melanocytes were observed. A high concentration of 1-tyrosine (0.2 mM) was always connected with increased pigmentation. In combination with a low 1-cysteine content we saw an increase in tyrosinase activity and the highest melanin content. At high concentrations of both 1-tyrosine and 1-cysteine, the melanocytes showed reduced tyrosinase activity and they produced notably more pheomelanin. In case of the pheomelanin measurements by high-performance liquid chromatography and the sulfur detection with X-ray microanalysis, strongly increased concentrations were found when cells were maintained in high 1-tyrosine medium as compared with those grown with low 1-tyrosine. This was especially true for the combination with low 1-cysteine showing that the 1-tyrosine content of the medium strongly influences not only the eumelanin but also the pheomelanin production in the cultured melanocyte. It can be concluded that variations in the concentrations of 1-tyrosine and 1-cysteine in culture medium can be used to regulate the melanogenetic phenotype under in vitro conditions.

Reduction of DNA synthesis, pigment synthesis, pigmentation gene mRNA and resistance to UVB in human melanoma cells treated with analogues of a histamine (H2) agonist

Two groups of S-[2-(N,N-dialkylamino)ethyl]isothiourea derivates which depigmented melanoma cells either with inhibition of tyrosinase (group 1, R = methyl, isopropyl) or without inhibition of tyrosinase (group 2, R = benzyl, phenyl) were studied. Treatment of human melanoma cells with non-lethal doses of group 1 drugs led to a reduction in the levels of mRNA for the pigmentation genes tyrosinase, tyrosinase-related protein-1 and Pmel 17. The group 1 drug S-[2-N,N-diisopropylamino)ethyl[isothiourea] (DINOR) (R = isopropyl) produced only moderate inhibition of DNA, RNA and protein synthesis in three cell lines during the first 24 hr of treatment, and there was no correlation between the extent of inhibition and long-term toxicity. A group 2 drug (R = benzyl) rapidly inhibited DNA synthesis in an amelanotic melanoma cell line (MM96E) sensitive to killing by the drug; association of the latter with inhibition of RNA or protein synthesis was less clear. MM96E cells were also sensitive to killing by reactive oxygen species. In pigmented melanoma cells (MM418), incorporation of [125I]thiouracil, a false precursor of melanin, increased during the first 24 hr of treatment with DINOR whereas a group 2 drug (R = phenyl) inhibited incorporation of [125I]thiouracil. Cells depigmented by treatment with drugs from either group suffered the same amount of DNA damage as pigmented cells after UVB irradiation, as judged by inhibition of DNA synthesis, but did not recover as well as pigmented cells, whether or not drug was present during recovery. The results suggested that (1) group 1 agents down-regulated message for several pigmentation genes, possibly at the transcriptional level; (2) the toxicity of group 2 drugs was related to reactive oxygen species; and (3) melanin protected cells from UVB by enhancing cellular recovery.

Cultured human melanocytes from black and white donors have different sunlight and ultraviolet A radiation sensitivities

Short-term and long-term survival of cultured neonatal foreskin melanocytes from black and white individuals were assessed following a single exposure to simulated sunlight or ultraviolet A (UVA) radiation. Melanocytes from black individuals contained significantly more melanin than melanocytes from white individuals (p less than 0.05). Black and white melanocytes had similar survival profiles following simulated sunlight exposure, whereas black melanocytes were significantly more resistant to UVA cytotoxicity than melanocytes from white subjects (p less than 0.05) at UVA doses above 15 J/cm2. There was no difference in unscheduled DNA synthesis in the black or white melanocytes following simulated sunlight exposure and no unscheduled DNA synthesis was measurable following melanocyte exposure to UVA radiation. Low-dose UVA (1 or 5 J/cm2) was mitogenic to both black and white melanocytes. By analysis of co-variance, the melanin content of melanocytes of black and white subjects was significantly (p less than 0.05) associated with susceptibility to UVA killing; melanocytes with high melanin content had high resistance to UVA cytotoxicity and those with low melanin content had low resistance to UVA cytotoxicity. From these data we suggest that the higher melanin content of melanocytes of black subjects confers increased resistance to UVA damage. This is likely to be of importance in epidermal photodamage.

Ultraviolet radiation acts as an independent mitogen for normal human melanocytes in culture

Identification of growth factors for normal human melanocytes has been significantly aided by the recent development of in vitro culture systems for this cell. Utilizing such a system, we studied the effect of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) on both melanocyte growth and melanization by incorporation of 3H-thymidine and 3H-L-dihydroxyphenylalanine (3H-DOPA), respectively. 3H-thymidine incorporation was found to be significantly stimulated during the first 24 h following a single irradiation. 3H-DOPA incorporation was stimulated after a delay of 2 days postirradiation. Whereas UVR has long been known to induce melanocyte proliferation in vivo, these studies show that UVR can act as a mitogenic stimulus for this cell independent of the cutaneous environment. UVR can thus be added to a growing list of growth factors for epidermal pigment cells and is the only physical agent conclusively shown to act as a mitogen. Included in this list are substances that act via stimulation of the CAMP-kinase or protein kinase systems such as cholera toxin and phorbol esters. UVR is postulated to induce melanocyte proliferation by modulation of these second messenger pathways. With recent evidence linking growth factors, oncogenes and malignant transformation, this study supports the association between UVR exposure and the development of malignant melanoma, and suggests mechanisms whereby UVR may contribute to malignant transformation of this cell.

Transfer of melanosomes in a skin equivalent model in vitro

The transfer of pigment granules from melanocytes to keratinocytes was studied using a new living skin equivalent (SE) model in vitro. The model was constructed by plating human neonatal melanocytes onto a dermal equivalent (DE) before it was overgrown with keratinocytes. The dermal component of the SE arises in vitro through the action of fibroblasts, which compact matrix proteins into a tissue. It becomes keratinized as keratinocytes migrate out of 2-mm punch biopsies of human neonatal skin embedded in the DE; keratinocytes from the biopsies covered the lattice in 14 days. A basal lamina develops at the dermal-epidermal junction in vitro. Exposure of some SEs to UVB irradiation for 14 days stimulated and enhanced pigment transfer. Pigment transfer from melanocytes to keratinocytes was documented in light and electron microscopic studies. Melanosomes, identified by their pigment as well as by dopa oxidase staining, were dispersed throughout the keratinocyte cytoplasm. We conclude that the SE model is valuable for studying the relationship between melanocytes and keratinocytes in vitro; since the SE has been shown to serve as a skin replacement, pigmenting it may be expected to increase its usefulness.

The epidermal melanocyte population in the skin of ultraviolet-irradiated crested newt

The response of the epidermal melanocyte population to repeated ultraviolet (UV) exposure (wavelength spectrum 275-350 nm) has been investigated in the crested newt, Triturus cristatus carnifex. The effects of different doses of UV light were studied. The animals were killed 7 months after the first UV exposure. Only a slight decrease in the number of pigment cells was found after 85 sequential irradiations with a total dose of 1.3 x 10(5) J/m2, whereas striking decreases were observed when the same total dose was fractionated into 14 exposures or when a double dose was given in 57 exposures. The relationship between the square roots of the epidermal melanocyte densities and single doses appeared to be roughly linear, at least over the range of doses administered. The main factor in melanocyte damage seemed to be the single dose of irradiation rather than the cumulative dose administered. Decreased melanin content of the keratinocytes was observed in most irradiated animals.

Photodestruction of pheomelanin: role of oxygen

Pheomelanin, the red-brown polymeric pigment in the skin and hair of red-headed humans, is composed of a protein fraction covalently bound to a colored chromophore. Photolysis of aerated aqueous phemelanin solutions, isolated from human red hair, results in destruction of the chromophore and liberation of the peptide fraction. The rate of photolysis depends on the pH and the concentration of both pigment and oxygen and is slightly inhibited by the enzyme superoxide dismutase (superoxide:superoxide oxidoreductase EC 1.15.1.1). Pheomelanin photolyzed in the presence of nitroblue tetrazolium results in the formation of a blue diformazan, whether or not oxygen is present. Superoxide dismutase inhibits the aerobic photoreduction of nitroblue tetrazolium whereas, in the absence of oxygen, no inhibition is observed. These experiments strongly suggest the involvement of superoxide in the aerobic photolysis of pheomelanin and point out a possible mechanism for ultraviolet-induced cell damage in redheads.

Organ culture of mammalian skin and the effects of ultraviolet light and testosterone on melanocyte morphology and function

Scrotal skin of black Long-Evans rats and human thigh skin were maintained in vitro as organ cultures for as long as 14 days, and examined histologically using the combined skin splitting and Dopa techniques. Selected rat skin cultures received testosterone in the culture medium and/or were irradiated with ultraviolet light (290-320 nm UVL). With increased time in culture, scrotal melanocytes round up and there is an increase in epidermal pigmentation. Human skin behaves similarly; after eight days in vitro human melanocytes also become rounded, but remain strongly Dopa-positive. Addition of exogenous testosterone to cultured rat skin maintains dendritic morphology of melanocytes, but cell body size is still reduced. UVL irradiation stimulates melanocytes in rat skin cultures, maintaining their dendritic morphology and increasing epidermal and dermal pigmentation. Cultured skin receiving both UVL and testosterone illustrates a synergistic effect. Electron microscopic examination of cultured rat skin shows the presence of large melanosome complexes in keratinocytes, much larger than those found in vivo. Melanocytes appear to be active as they contain an extensive Golgi zone, rough endoplasmic reticulum, and melanosomes in various stages of formation. Dermis contained many dermal melanocytes and macrophages laden with melanosomes, correlating with the increased visible dermal pigmentation in vitro. This UVL stimulation of melanocytes in our skin organ cultures contrasts with the lack of melanogenic stimulation found in melanoma cell cultures. Our findings suggest that the intact epidermal melanin unit may be necessary for UVL stimulation of melanocytes.

UV-induced unscheduled DNA synthesis in guinea pig skin melanocytes isolated in culture

Pigmented melanocytes isolated in culture from the epidermis of guinea pig ears were used to study the unscheduled DNA synthesis (UDS) induced by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation at 254 nm. After irradiation, the cells were labeled for 6 hr with 3H-thymidine (3HTdR), fixed, dehydrated, and flat embedded in Epon. Radioautographs were made on serial 0.5-1 micrometer thick sections of the cultures in order to distinguish silver grains from pigment granules. Cells irradiated with 5, 10, or 50 joules (J) m-2 showed a 3HTdR uptake due to UDS, whereas their proliferative ability, measured by the 3HTdR uptake due to scheduled DNA synthesis, was very low. For the same UV doses, UDS was lower in melanocytes than in guinea pig fibroblasts and keratinocytes.

The effect of X-ray irradiation upon the epithelial melanin unit of the hair bulb in hooded rat

A marked increase in the quantity of pigment in the upper bulb, penetration of melanosomes into the papillae and vacuolisation of the bulb keratinocytes occurred as early as 4--6 h after irradiation with a dose 600--1200 R. Afterwards considerable hyperpigmentations appeared in the proximal segments of dystrophic and catagen hairs and melanin was found in the catagen columns and beyond them. In most animals within 4--6 h after irradiation occurred a distinct vacuolisation of the Malpighian layer and the granular layer became more prominent.

Effect of pigment on photomediated production of thymine dimers in cultured melanoma cells

It was the aim of these studies to determine whether the presence of intracellular melanin quantitatively alters the rate of production of thymine dimers in DNA of irradiated cells in culture. Pigmented and nonpigmented Cloudman mouse melanoma cells were selected assuming that the two cell lines differ primarily in their content of melanin pigment. Cells were cultivated in tritiated thymine in order to label their DNA and were then exposed to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation (260 nm, 500-2000 ergs/mm2). Neither cell line survived these doses of irradiation. DNA was extracted immediately following irradiation and was subjected to acid hydrolysis. The presence of thymine dimers was determined by two-dimensional paper chromatography. The percent of labeled thymine recovered as thymine dimer was calculated and was found to be a linear function of UV dose for both cell lines. The rate of formation of dimers in the nonpigmented cells was nearly twice that in the pigmented cells. These data demonstrate the photoprotective property of intracellular melanin in shielding isolated cells from one type of photomediated injury to DNA.

The effect of MSH on thymidine incorporation by keratinocytes in the epidermal melanin unit

Epidermal melanocytes were observed in the black but not in the white skin of black-and-white spotted guinea pigs. In experiments designed to determine whether melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH) affects the incorporation of thymidine by kerationcyte nuclei of the epidermal melanin unit, the labeling index was the same in all skin before MSH administration. After MSH injections, the level of (3H)thymidine incorporation in keratinocytes increased significantly in black skin but not in white. We suggest that through the mediation of melanocytes MSH indirectly afffects keratinocytes in the epidermal melanin unit.

Role of light in human skin color viariation

The major source of color in human skin derives from the presence within the epidermis of specialized melanin-bearing organelles, the melanosomes. Tanning of human skin on exposure to ultraviolet light results from increased amounts of melanin within the epidermis. Melanosomes synthesized by melanocytes are acquired by keratinocytes and transported within them to the epidermal surface. In some cases, the melanosomes are catobolized en route. New information indicates that the multicellular epidermal melanin unit (melanocyte and associated pool of keratinocytes) rather than the melanocyte alone is the focal point for the control of melanin metabolism within mammalian epidermis. Gross human skin color derives from the visual impact of the summed melanin pigmentation of the many epidermal melanin units. In theory, constitutive skin color in man designates the genetically-determined levels of melanin pigmentation developed in the absence of exposure to solar radiation or other environmental influences; facultative skin color or "tan" characterizes the increases in melanin pigmentation above the constitutive level induced by ultraviolet light. The details of genetic regulation of pigment metabolism within the epidermal melanin units are being clarified. In some mammals at least, the function of epidermal melanin units is significantly influenced by hormones which may be regulated by radiations received through the eyes. Based on an evolutionary history of the human family which exceeds ten million years, it is proposed that melanin pigmentation may have played a number of roles in human adaptions to changing biologic and physical environments.

In vivo hybridisation of cultured melanoma cells and isogenic normal mouse cells

Somatic cell hybrids were derived by fusing tumourigenic and melanogenic melanoma (PAZG) cells with normal diploid male mouse cells in vivo. Their chromosomal composition was equivalent to the sum of both parental genomes and included a Y chromosome lacking in the melanoma parent. Our study showed that in PAZG X C57BL hybrids (MP), tumourigenicity was suppressed but pigmentation was expressed.