cAMP-mediated regulation of melanocyte genomic instability: A melanoma-preventive strategy.

Malignant melanoma of the skin is the leading cause of death from skin cancer and ranks fifth in cancer incidence among all cancers in the United States. While melanoma mortality has remained steady for the past several decades, melanoma incidence has been increasing, particularly among fair-skinned individuals. According to the American Cancer Society, nearly 10,000 people in the United States will die from melanoma this year.

Mismatch recognition protein MutSbeta does not hijack (CAG)n hairpin repair in vitro.

CAG repeats form stable hairpin structures, which are believed to be responsible for CAG repeat expansions associated with certain human neurological diseases. Human cells possess an accurate DNA hairpin repair system that prevents expansion of disease-associated CAG repeats. Based on transgenic animal studies, it is suggested that (CAG)(n) expansion is caused by abnormal binding of the MutSbeta mismatch recognition protein to (CAG)(n) hairpins, leading to hijacking mismatch repair function during (CAG)(n) hairpin repair.