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

Abstract

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.