Melanocytes Are More Responsive to IFN-γ and Produce Higher Amounts of Kynurenine Than Melanoma Cells

Abstract A key link between amino acid catabolism and immune regulation in cancer is the augmented tryptophan (Trp) catabolism through the kynurenine pathway (KP), a metabolic route induced by interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and related to poor prognosis in melanomas. Besides its role in cancer, IFN-γ plays a key role in the control of pigmentation homeostasis. Here we measured KP metabolites in human melanoma lines and skin melanocytes and fibroblasts in response to IFN-γ. In general, IFN-γ affected KP in skin cells more than in melanoma cells, supporting IFN-γ roles in skin physiology and that of stromal cells in modulating the tumor microenvironment.