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Soo Park, MD
Soo Park, MD
Posted: Monday, January 6, 2025
Efforts to elucidate the molecular mechanisms in the pathogenesis of melanoma have identified the DTL gene as a potential regulator, according to a study published in Scientific Reports. Through the ERK/E2F1/BUB1 axis, DTL may regulate the malignant behavior of melanoma cells and therefore may serve as a prognostic marker and therapeutic target in this patient population, suggested Changzheng Huang, MD, PhD, of Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China, and colleagues.
Melanoma (n = 234) and benign (n = 47) tissue samples were collected from four Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) data sets for analysis. All tissue samples were naive to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Tissue samples were subjected to various biologic assays including cell culturing, immunohistochemistry, small interfering RNA interference, polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, immunofluorescent staining, and RNA sequencing.
The study authors reported a negative association between DTL and survival, such that elevated levels of DTL were associated with decreased overall survival and disease-free survival. Thus, the association between DTL and melanoma may explain the observed clinical outcomes in this patient population.
In addition, increased expression of DTL was found to be associated with an increased extent of disease, as measured by Breslow depth. Furthermore, increased DTL expression was positively associated with enhanced oncogenicity of melanoma cells by increasing migration and invasion. This finding was further supported by the decreased migration and invasion of melanoma cells when DTL expression was depleted. Moreover, the pathogenesis pathway of DTL may target BUB1, which subsequently increases the growth and metastasis of melanoma cells.
Disclosure: The study authors reported no conflicts of interest.
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