3-AMINOBENZAMIDE INDUCES CYTOSKELETON REARRANGEMENT IN M14 MELANOMA-CELLS

3-aminobenzamide (3-ABA) is an inhibitor of poly-ADP-ribose-polymerase , an enzyme involved in numerous subcellular processes including cell death. With the aim of contributing to clarify the mode of action of t he drug, which is still poorly understood, its effects on cultured mel anoma cells M14 have been assessed. in particular, an impairment of ce ll growth accompanied by the formation of long and numerous dendritic- like protrusions has been detected. This finding appears to be due to a specific effect of the drug on some cytoskeletal elements and could be associated with its differentiating capability. This finding, toget her with previous data from our group - Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. , (1994) 199, 525-530 and 1250-1255 - suggests that cytoskeleton is an important target of 9-ABA. (C) 1994 Academic Press, Inc.