Recently developed methods are described for the culture of cells from primary human melanomas and benign or dysplastic naevi (moles). These allow the culture of viable cells from the great majority of such lesions, and the maintenance of what appears to be the predominant population of pigmented cells. These methods should facilitate the study of typical lesional cells, which appear somewhat different from the cell lines that have been established previously under more restrictive conditions: intermediate between these and normal melanocytes. The conditions involve the use of growth-inactivated keratinocytes initially, and a combination of mitogens similar to those routinely used for normal human melanocytes: stem cell factor, endothelin 1, TPA, and cholera toxin.
