Distribution of GNAQ and GNA11 Mutation Signatures in Uveal Melanoma Points to a Light Dependent Mutation Mechanism.

Uveal melanomas (UM) originate from melanocytes in the interior wall of the eye, namely from the iris, ciliary body and the choroid with marked differences in light exposure (from dark anterior to illuminated posterior). In contrast to UV radiation, focused or converging visible light readily reaches the retina and can damage DNA which possibly contributes to UM development. In this report choroidal, ciliochoroidal and iridociliary melanomas were analyzed for GNAQ and GNA11 mutations which were subsequently correlated to the location of tumor origin.