PBAF chromatin may explain melanoma spread to the brain
Source: Medical Xpress, April 2025
Scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have discovered a possible reason why some cases of melanoma—a dangerous form of skin cancer—spread to the brain. Their study, published in Molecular Cell, highlights the role of a group of proteins called the PBAF chromatin remodeling complex in keeping melanoma from getting worse.
Chromatin is the material that makes up our chromosomes, and it controls how genes are turned on or off. The PBAF complex helps organize this material, acting like a gatekeeper that decides which genes get used.
In this study, researchers found that when PBAF is not working properly—which happens in many melanoma tumors—certain neuron-related genes get turned on in skin cancer cells. This may help melanoma survive and grow in the brain.