Tyrosinase Activity and Isoenzyme Distribution Corresponding to Growth and Regression of Melanoma in Sinclair Miniature Swine

Abstract

Malignant melanomas have been shown to contain high levels of monophenol monooxygenase (tyrosinase) enzyme activity; the enzyme is responsible for melanin synthesis. The melanoma of Sinclair miniature swine has a high incidence of spontaneous regression and thus provides a unique system for analyzing changes in tyrosinase activity at various tumor stages. Three tumor stages (progressively growing tumors. partially regressed tumors. and fully regressed tumors) were analyzed for tyrosinase activity. The progressing tumors were 34-fold higher than were the partially regressed lesions and 400-fold higher than were the fully regressed tumors. Histologically, the decrease in enzyme activity correlated with a loss of tumor cells. Sequential biopsies of tumors during the course of tumor development showed a positive correspondence between tumor volume and tyrosinase activity for the early and late stages of tumor growth and regression. Electrophoretic separation of tyrosinase preparations revealed three major tyrosinase “isoenzymes” whose relative .abundance fluctuated during developmental increases and decreases in enzyme activity.