Regulation of tyrosinase synthesis by alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone in hair follicular melanocytes of the mouse.

Tyrosinase activity was increased in hair follicular melanocytes of C3H-HeAvy mice during the hair cycle and reached higher levels on days 6-8 after plucking than on day 12. Similarly, the rate of incorporation of [35S]methionine into tyrosinase was greater on days 6-8 than on day 12, but the relative difference was much less. alpha-MSH had no effect on tyrosinase activity or the rate of [35S]methionine incorporation on day 12 and, while it increased both on days 6 and 8, it had a greater effect upon the latter. Pulse-chase experiments showed that the half-life of tyrosinase was 3.5 h and that this was unaffected by alpha-MSH. The results indicate that the increases in tyrosinase activity which occur during the hair cycle involve changes in both the synthesis and activation of the enzyme and that the predominant effect of alpha-MSH is on the former of these two processes.