Malignant transformation of human melanocytes: Induction of a complete melanoma phenotype and genotype Journal Article
| Authors: | Albino, A. P.; Sozzi, G.; Nanus, D. M.; Jhanwar, S. C.; Houghton, A. N. |
| Article Title: | Malignant transformation of human melanocytes: Induction of a complete melanoma phenotype and genotype |
| Abstract: | Human melanoma provides a model to study malignant transformation and tumor progression. Expression of ras oncogenes in cultured normal human diploid melanocytes has induced a subset of phenotypic traits that are characteristic of malignant melanoma cells, including altered morphology, anchorage independence, induction of class II MHC antigens, up-regulation of the ganglioside G(D3), and chromosomal abnormalities. However, other characteristics of melanoma, such as loss of expression of adenosine deaminase-binding protein and tumorigenicity, were not observed. We report here that melanocytes infected with a retrovirus containing the viral Ha-ras oncogene underwent complete transformation, acquiring all phenotypic characteristics of malignant melanomas observed in vivo. Transformation occurred in a sequential manner and was associated with spontaneous chromosomal instability. Cytogenetic analysis of transformed melanocytes indicated that the earliest structural chromosomal abnormalities were isochromosomes 6p and 9q followed by complete loss of chromosome 1p, all common karyotypic abnormalities described in human melanomas. The findings suggest that these chromosome regions which are deleted or relatively deficient may contain genes that are critical for the initiation and progression of the melanoma phenotype. |
| Keywords: | controlled study; human cell; phenotype; animal; mice; melanoma; melanocyte; melanocytes; genotype; oncogene h ras; cell transformation, neoplastic; chromosome aberration; hla-dr antigens; chromosomes, human, pair 6; chromosome aberrations; genes, ras; chromosome deletion; chromosomes, human, pair 1; malignant transformation; chromosome analysis; retrovirus; antigens, surface; 3t3 cells; chromosome 1p; tetradecanoylphorbol acetate; chromosome 9q; virus oncogene; structural chromosome aberration; chromosome 6p; unidentified retrovirus; isochromosome; human; priority journal; article; virus cell transformation; support, non-u.s. gov't; support, u.s. gov't, p.h.s. |
| Journal Title: | Oncogene |
| Volume: | 7 |
| Issue: | 11 |
| ISSN: | 0950-9232 |
| Publisher: | Nature Publishing Group |
| Date Published: | 1992-11-01 |
| Start Page: | 2315 |
| End Page: | 2321 |
| Language: | English |
| PUBMED: | 1437153 |
| PROVIDER: | scopus |
| DOI/URL: | |
| Notes: | Source: Scopus |
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