Melanogenesis in genetically determined pigment cell tumors of platyfish and platyfish-swordtail hybrids: correlation between tyrosine activity and degree of malignancy.

In the genetically determined pigment cell tumors of platyfish and platyfish-swordtail hybrids, the degree of malignancy of pigment cells which have been neoplastically transformed by a tumor gene (Tu) depends on the type and number of certain regulating genes (R). In the present study, the tyrosinase activities in tumors of different degrees of malignancy (black spots, premelanomas, melanomas) have been determined. The results demonstrate a close correlation between the level of tyrosinase activity and the degree of malignancy. Spot patterns consisting of completely differentiated (benign) Tu-transformed cells show no tyrosinase activity. Premelanomas containing a few incompletely differentiated (malignant) Tu-transformed cells in addition to many differentiated ones show moderate tyrosinase activities. Melanomas which contain increasing numbers of incompletely differentiated cells with increasing growth rates show high to extremely high tyrosinase activities. Thus, the tyrosinase levels present in these tumors can be used as an indicator for the degree of differentiation and, thereby, for the degree of malignancy of the neoplastically transformed pigment cells.