Action of trypsin and detergents on tyrosinase of normal and malignant melanocytes.

The T1 variety of tyrosinase is present in both particulate and soluble or readily solubilized forms in the pigmented hypodermis (hair bulbs) of C57BL mice and Harding-Passey mouse melanoma. Trypsin treatment of 35,000g supernatants containing the microsomal (small granule) fraction of gentle homogenates of hair bulbs and melanoma results in significantly increased T1 activity within polyacrylamide gels. Similar treatment of 100,000g supernatants results in a slight increase in T1 activity. Addition of Triton-X or DOC to 35,000g supernatants of hair bulb and melanoma homogenates followed by centrifugation at 100,000g results in a marked enhancement of T1 when the latter supernatants are treated with trypsin. In the absence of trypsin treatment, T1 activity is comparable to nondetergent-treated controls. A slow-moving dopa-reactive band (Ts) is found in electropherograms of the nontrypsinized 100,000g supernants of detergent-treated 35,000g supernatants. It is absent in those treated with trypsin. The slow-moving enzyme appears to give rise to T1 molecules when eluted from acrylamide gels and even to a greater extent when elution is combined with trypsin treatment prior to reelectrophoresis. In mammals, tyrosinase apparently is not derived by a proteolytic activation of protyrosinase.