Modulation by palmitoyl-carnitine of calcium activated, phospholipid-dependent protein kinase activity and inhibition of melanoma cell growth

• Published in: British journal of dermatology (1951) Vol. 119; no. 2; p. 171
• Main Authors: Vescovi, G, Weber, B, Matrat, M, Ramacci, C, Nabet, P, Kremer, B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01.08.1988
• Subjects: Adult; Carnitine - analogs & derivatives; Cell Survival - drug effects; Cytosol - enzymology; Humans; Male; Melanoma - enzymology; Melanoma - pathology; Palmitoylcarnitine - pharmacology; Protein Kinase C - metabolism; Tumor Stem Cell Assay
• ISSN: 0007-0963
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2133.1988.tb03198.x

Phospholipid-sensitive, Ca++-dependent protein kinase activity was investigated in the cytosol of melanoma cells. A protein kinase system was partially purified, and enzyme activity was found to be modulated by palmitoyl-carnitine. In order to link the actions of palmitoyl-carnitine on phospholipid-sensitive protein kinase activity and the already reported role of protein kinase C in cell division, we studied the action of palmitoyl-carnitine on melanoma cell growth by measuring colony forming ability in a soft agar culture system. Palmitoyl-carnitine was found to inhibit cell growth in a dose-dependent manner. These findings suggest that palmitoyl-carnitine (or long-chain acylcarnitine), a naturally occurring metabolite, may play a key role in the onset of cell division. We suggest that the action of palmitoyl-carnitine on phospholipid-dependent protein kinase activity is in part related to the molecular events linking protein kinase C activity and the ionic events in the initiation of cell growth.