Active N-Ras and B-Raf inhibit anoikis by downregulating Bim expression in melanocytic cells.

B-Raf and N-Ras proteins are often activated in melanoma, yet their roles in producing inherent survival signals are not fully understood. In this study, we investigated how N-RAS(Q61K) and B-RAF(V600E) contribute to melanoma's resistance to apoptosis induced by detachment from the extracellular matrix (anoikis). We found that expression of constitutively active N-RAS(Q61K) and B-RAF(V600E) downregulated the proapoptotic Bim protein in an immortalized melanocyte cell line. Bim is one of the main proapoptotic mediators of anoikis. Western blot analysis showed that detachment increased Bim expression in melanocytes, and Annexin V staining indicated that detachment induced cell death significantly in melanocytes. Blocking Bim expression by using RNAi vectors or by expressing N-RAS(Q61K) significantly inhibited anoikis in melanocytes. In summary, this report indicates that N-RAS(Q61K) and B-RAF(V600E) contribute to melanoma's resistance to apoptosis in part by downregulating Bim expression, suggesting that Bim is a possible treatment target for overriding melanoma's inherent defenses against cell death.