Researchers Identify Cell Signaling Pathway Controlling Metastatic Spread of Melanoma Cells to Brain
Source: Pharmacy Times, December 2023
The study authors note that stress conditions result in an increased activity of the protein HDAC8, which promotes melanoma cell survival.
New research published in Nature Communications discusses the identification a cell signaling pathway that regulates the metastatic spread of melanoma cells to the brain. Melanoma—which is the deadliest form of skin cancer, according to the authors—can grow and spread throughout the body. Over half of individuals with advanced melanoma will experience the disease spreading to the brain, where it progresses quickly and may lead to death in 3 to 4 months.
Melanoma tumors are made up of cell subgroups with different gene expression patterns with different abilities that invade surrounding tissues and survive anti-cancer treatment regimens; however, it is unclear as to how the subgroups contribute to the progression and development of tumors. Previous research determined that the protein histone deacetylase 8 (HDAC8) regulates resistance to BRAF and MEK inhibitors that are commonly used to treat melanoma. HDAC8 can remove chemical modifications called acetyl groups from other proteins, resulting in the alteration of gene expression patterns.