TURTLE LUNG-CELLS PRODUCE A MELANIZATION-STIMULATING ACTIVITY THAT PROMOTES MELANOCYTIC DIFFERENTIATION OF AVIAN NEURAL CREST CELLS

We found previously that neural crest cells in turtle embryos migrated into the lung buds and melanocytes were located in the lungs. The fin ding suggested to us that the lungs provide a stimulatory factor(s) to the differentiation of neural crest cells into melanocytes. We have e stablished lung cell lines to facilitate analysis of the interactions of neural crest cells with the environment in melanocyte development. One cell line, TLC-2, was found to produce a putative melanization-sti mulating activity (MSA), which promoted the melanocyte differentiation in vitro of avian neural crest cells. The TLC-2-derived MSA was diffe rent from that of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), alpha-melanoc yte stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH), and steel factor (SLF). Its molec ular weight was estimated to be within the range of 150 kD. Our findin gs suggest that MSA may be a no vel factor exercising a positive contr ol over melanocyte differentiation.