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

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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.