Stem cell factor affects tumour progression markers in metastatic melanoma cells

Stem cell factor (SCF), next to various relevant biological effects exerted on many cell types, is able to keep melanocyte homeostasis through its receptor c-kit. Only a minority of metastatic melanoma cells (MMC) express c-kit receptor, but c-kit positive MMC move more slowly towards tumour progression and have a more natural tendency to undergo apoptosis. In our study c-kit positive MMC from human melanoma metastases and a c-kit positive human melanoma cell line—SK-MEL-28—showed a clear-cut reduction of cytokines normally up-regulated along melanoma progression after SCF stimulation. SCF was also able to maintain all MMC and SK-MEL-28 cells in a well differentiated status with an increase in organellogenesis and in particular of melanosomes in various degree of differentiation, but it did not induce apoptosis as observed in other in vitro models. The increase of melanosomes matched an increase of tyrosinase production. SCF did not modify the expression of NOS while it enhanced the expression of HLA-DR molecules on MMC membranes. Taken altogether these data stress the biological activity of SCF as a cytokine which is able to maintain MMC in a well differentiated status, and suggest a more in depth evaluation of possible effects of SCF on melanoma cells.