Tyrosine and the synthesis of melanin in embryonic cells fromAmbystoma mexicanum.

Explants comprising about 15 cells were dissected from various regions of the blastula ofAmbystoma mexicanum and cultured in Barth's medium. By addition of L-tyrosine to the culture medium it was possible to induce melanin synthesis in three different cells types: undifferentiated embryonic cells, mesenchyme cells and nerve cells. Tyrosine was found to act as an inductor in a very low concentration (1 μM). It is suggested that tyrosine serves both as an inductor and as a substrate for melanin synthesis in the amphibian larva.