Pathology and ultrastructural characteristics of a hypomelanotic variant of transplantable hamster melanoma with elevated tyrosinase activity.

A spontaneous, hypomelanotic variant (MI) of the highly melanotic transplantable hamster melanoma of Bomirski (Ma) is the subject of this report. Tyrosinase activity is 2-3 times higher, but melanin content significantly lower than in the parental Ma melanotic melanoma. Acid phosphatase activity is similar in both, but beta-glucuronidase and aryl-sulfatase A are 2-3 times higher in the hypomelanotic variant. Transplanted MI melanomas grow more slowly than the parental tumor, but metastasize with similar incidence and localization. Hypomelanotic variant melanoma cells, even those in grossly nonnecrotic parts of the transplants, show signs of low viability like swelling of the cytoplasm or cellular condensation, and disintegration. Autophagic vacuoles are numerous. They appear to be formed by enclosure of a portion of cytoplasm by cisternae of smooth endoplasmic reticulum or trans-Golgi network. These limiting cisternae contain tyrosinase as evidenced by deposition of electron dense reaction product on incubation with tyrosine or DOPA. Other sites of ultrastructural tyrosinase reaction are melanosomes and the smooth-surfaced cisternae and vesicles of the trans-Golgi network. We postulate the low cell viability, associated with autophagosome formation, is the cause for the growth retardation of the MI variant, and that the lower melanin content of these tyrosinase-rich cells is due to sequestration of a substantial portion of newly synthesized enzyme into autophagic vacuoles before it has the chance of being incorporated into melanosomes.