[Melanoma: surface markers as the first point of targeted delivery of therapeutic genes in multilevel gene therapy].

Melanoma is one of the most malignant tumors, aggressively metastasizing by lymphatic and hematogenous routes. Due to the resistance of melanoma cells to many types of chemotherapy, this disease causes high mortality rate. High hopes are pinned on gene therapeutic approaches to melanoma treatment. At present, one of the main problems of the efficient use of the post-genomic generation therapeutic means is the lack of optimal techniques of delivery of foreign genetic material to the patient's target cells. Surface specific markers of melanoma cells can be considered as promising therapeutic targets. This review describes currently known melanoma specific receptors and its stem cells, as well as contains data on melanoma antigens presented on the cell surface by major histocompatibility complex proteins. The ability of surface proteins to internalize might be successfully used for the development of methods of targeted delivery of gene therapeutic constructs. In conclusion, a concept of multilevel gene therapy and the possible role therein of surface determinants as targets of gene systems delivery to the tumor are discussed.