Ultraviolet radiation acts as an independent mitogen for normal human melanocytes in culture.

Identification of growth factors for normal human melanocytes has been significantly aided by the recent development of in vitro culture systems for this cell. Utilizing such a system, we studied the effect of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) on both melanocyte growth and melanization by incorporation of 3H-thymidine and 3H-L-dihydroxyphenylalanine (3H-DOPA), respectively. 3H-thymidine incorporation was found to be significantly stimulated during the first 24 h following a single irradiation. 3H-DOPA incorporation was stimulated after a delay of 2 days postirradiation. Whereas UVR has long been known to induce melanocyte proliferation in vivo, these studies show that UVR can act as a mitogenic stimulus for this cell independent of the cutaneous environment. UVR can thus be added to a growing list of growth factors for epidermal pigment cells and is the only physical agent conclusively shown to act as a mitogen. Included in this list are substances that act via stimulation of the CAMP-kinase or protein kinase systems such as cholera toxin and phorbol esters. UVR is postulated to induce melanocyte proliferation by modulation of these second messenger pathways. With recent evidence linking growth factors, oncogenes and malignant transformation, this study supports the association between UVR exposure and the development of malignant melanoma, and suggests mechanisms whereby UVR may contribute to malignant transformation of this cell.