Studies on the Cloudman melanoma cell line as a model for the action of MSH

A review of the studies done at Yale on the role of MSH in regulating pigmentation and growth of Cloudman (S91) melanoma cells is presented. The areas covered include the isolation and analyses of mutant cell lines unresponsive to MSH; the role of cyclic AMP, cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinases, and protein phosphorylation reactions in the response of MSH; new regulators of the melanogenesis pathway; the cytotoxicity of melanin precursors; the development of methodology for synthesizing 125I-beta-MSH; the use of this ligand to study receptors for MSH; and the chemical and biological properties of phosphorylated isomers of L-dopa, a new class of compounds exhibiting potent bio-activity toward melanocytes. All of the experiments described were carried out in the Department of Dermatology at the Yale University School of Medicine during the tenure of Dr. Aaron B. Lerner as chairman.