Melanocyte stimulating hormone induces the differentiation of mouse epidermal melanocytes in serum-free culture

✍ Scribed by Tomohisa Hirobe

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1992
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 922 KB
• Volume: 152
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0021-9541
• DOI: 10.1002/jcp.1041520215

✦ Synopsis

In serum-free primary culture of dissociated mouse epidermal cells, a-melanocyte stimulating hormone (a-MSH) and dibutyryl cyclic AMP (UBcAMP) induced the differentiation of melanocytes. Moreover, the proliferation of melanocytes was also induced in the dishes cultured with DECAMP, but not with a-MSH. In order to clarify the role of keratinocytes in melanocyte proliferation and differentiation, pure cultures of keratinocytes were established in serum-free medium. Subconfluent primary keratinocytes were trypsinized and seeded into pure primary melanoblasts cultured with serum-tree medium that did not contain a-MSH or UBcAMP. Melanoblasts were cultured with a-MSH or DBcAMP in the presence or absence of keratinocytes. a-MSH failed to induce melanocyte differentiation in the absence of keratinocytes. DEcAMP failed to induce melanocyte proliferation in the absence of keratinocytes, although it induced melanocyte differentiation even in the absence of keratinocytes. These results suggest that keratinocyte-derived factors are requirrd not only for the induction of melanocytc differentiation by a-MSH but also for the induction of melanocyte proliferation by DBcAMP. D I992 Wile)(-Liss, Inc.