Studies on guinea pig skin cell cultures. V. Co-culture of pigmented melanocytes and albino keratinocytes, a model for the study of pigment transfer
Prunieras, M.; Moreno, G.; Dosso, Y.; Vinzens, F.
Acta Dermato-Venereologica 56(1): 1-9
1976
ISSN/ISBN: 0001-5555 PMID: 56849 Document Number: 108165
Mixed cultures of melanocytes (M) and keratinocytes (K) are easily obtained from pigmented guinea pig ear skin. They are suitable for the study of pigment transfer from M to K. However, quantitation is difficult because many K are already loaded with pigment prior to cultivation. A technique is presented in which pigment-producing M are co-cultured with K of albino origin. Pigmented guinea pig ear skin is split with trypsin and basal cells including M are harvested. The cell suspension is treated with sodium citrate which prevents the attachment of K (but not of M) to the culture substrate. Ninety per cent pure M cultures are obtained. Five to seven days later, another basal cell suspension is prepared, this time from albino ear skin. This second suspension is seeded on top of the pigment-forming culture of M. The number of contacts between albino K and pigment-forming M increases as a direct function of time. Contrarily, the number of K which become pigmented increases until the fifth day of co-culture and decreases thereafter.