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Electron microscopic studies on transplantable melanotic and amelanotic melanomas in hamsters

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Summary

The cells of the transplantable Syrian hamster M-melanoma are characterized by the presence of cytoplasmatic processes, melanosomes and premelanosomes. The internal structure of premelanosomes is finely granular, coarselygranular, cross-striated and longitudinally-striated. The finely-granular premelanosomes develop from premelanosome precursors, i.e. vesicles filled with a finelygranular substance but still without melanin. The occurrence of the finelygranular premelanosomes gives evidence that melanin may be deposited within the granular matrix of the neoplastic pigment organelles. The ultrastructural DOPA reaction was weakly positive in 1 and negative in 3 M-melanoma transplants, in spite of the fact that the high tyrosinase activity of this tumour has been proved by biochemical methods. Possible reasons why the DOPA reaction does not reflect the high tyrosinase activity of the M-melanoma are discussed.

The transplantable A-melanoma in hamsters consists of polygonal cells without melanin and melanosomes. The scarce granular vesicles may be premelanosome precuorsors or lysosomes. The ultrastructural DOPA reaction is strongly positive in all A-melanoma transplants. The DOPA reaction product occurs in smoothwalled longitudinal and vesicular profiles, resembling GERL.

Zusammenfassung

Charakteristische Merkmale des transplantablen melanotischen Melanoms des Syrischen Hamsters sind Ausläufer des Cytoplasmas, Melanosomen und Prämelanosomen. Die innere Struktur der Prämelanosomen ist verschieden: fein oder grob granuliert, mit Quer- oder Längsstreifen. Die fein granulierten Prämelanosomen stammen von bläschenformigen Prekursoren ab, die fein granuliert sind, aber noch kein Melanin enthalten. Das Vorkommen fein granulierter Prämelanosomen beweist, daß in den neoplastischen Pigmentorganellen Melanin in der granulären Matrix abgelegt werden kann. Die ultrastrukturelle DOPA-Reaktion war schwach positiv in einem melanotischen Melanomtransplantat, negativ in drei anderen, obwohl es gelang auf biochemischem Wege eine hohe Tyrosinaseaktivität dieses Geschwulstes nachzuweisen. Die möglichen Ursachen eines solchen Ausfalls der DOPA-Reaktion bei gleichzeitig hoher Tyrosinaseaktivität sind besprochen.

Das transplantable amelanotische Melanom des Hamsters besteht aus polygonalen Zellcn ohne Melanin und Melanosomen. Die wenig zahlreichen granulären Bläschchen kann man als in der Entwicklung gehemmte Prekursoren von Prämelanosomen, oder als Lysosomen betrachten. Die ultrastrukturelle DOPA-Reaktion ist in allen amelanotischen Melanomtransplantaten stark positiv. Das Produkt der DOPA-Reaktion ist in glattwandigen länglichen oder bläschchenartig gestalteten Gebilden enthhalten, die eine gewisse Ähnlichkeit mit GERL aufweisen.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology and Parasitology, Medical School, Gdańsk, Poland

    Andrzej Bomirski, Teresa Żawrocka-Wrzolkowa & Fryderyk Pautsch

  2. Laboratory of Electron Microscopy, Medical School, Gdańsk, Poland

    Andrzej Bomirski, Teresa Żawrocka-Wrzolkowa & Fryderyk Pautsch

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  1. Andrzej Bomirski
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  2. Teresa Żawrocka-Wrzolkowa
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  3. Fryderyk Pautsch
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Bomirski, A., Żawrocka-Wrzolkowa, T. & Pautsch, F. Electron microscopic studies on transplantable melanotic and amelanotic melanomas in hamsters. Arch. Derm. Forsch. 246, 284–298 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00595427

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