Transcriptomic Profiling Revealed Plexin A2 Downregulation With Migration and Invasion Alteration in Dacarbazine-Treated Primary Melanoma Cells.

Melanoma is highly heterogeneous type of malignant neoplasm that is responsible for the majority of deaths among other types of skin cancer. In the present study, we screened a list of differentially expressed genes in two primary, drug-naïve melanoma cell lines derived from patients with melanoma following treatment of the cells with the chemotherapeutic agent dacarbazine. The aim was to determine the transcriptomic profiles and associated alterations in the cell phenotype.

Semaphorin-5A downregulation is associated with enhanced migration and invasion of BRAF-positive melanoma cells under vemurafenib treatment in melanomas with heterogeneous BRAF status.

Tumor heterogeneity affects the efficacy of anticancer treatment as tumor subclones with distinct molecular patterns may be present within one tumor, leading to differing sensitivities to chemotherapeutic agents. In the present study, six melanoma tissue fragments were obtained from different parts of tumor of four patients and then the effect of vemurafenib treatment on biological characteristics and molecular processes of cell cultures was estimated by using MTT-test, apoptosis, migration and invasion assays, PCR real time. There was different BRAF status determined between cells derived from the central and peripheral regions of primary melanoma tumors.

miR-204-5p and miR-3065-5p exert antitumor effects on melanoma cells.

MicroRNA (miR)-204-5p was previously identified to be downregulated in melanoma compared with melanocytic nevi. This observation prompted a functional study on miR-204-5p and the newly-identified miR-3065-5p, two miRNAs suggested to be tumor-suppressive oncomiRs. Application of miR-204-5p mimics or inhibitors resulted in a decrease or increase, respectively, in melanoma cell proliferation and colony formation.