Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comment
. 2010 Jan;130(1):12-4.
doi: 10.1038/jid.2009.332.

Melanoma molecular subtypes: unifying and paradoxical results

Nancy E Thomas  1 , Peter A Kanetsky, Colin B Begg, Kathleen Conway, Marianne Berwick
Affiliations
Comment

Melanoma molecular subtypes: unifying and paradoxical results

Nancy E Thomas et al. J Invest Dermatol. 2010 Jan.

Abstract

In this issue, Hacker and colleagues provide further evidence that molecular subtypes of malignant melanoma may develop along divergent pathways. The authors did not find an association between somatic BRAF-mutant melanoma and germline melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) gene status. We discuss this seeming paradox in light of previous studies demonstrating strong associations.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The authors state no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Potential opposing effects of MC1R variant status upon risk of BRAF-mutant melanoma
Functional MC1R allows the production of the darker eumelanin pigment and the tanning response. Carriage of decrease-of-function MC1R variants may allow increased BRAF-mutant melanoma risk through decreased photo-protection by eumelanin and attenuation of DNA damage response mechanisms. In opposition, more functional MC1R variants may increase risk through increased eumelanin leading to more oxidative stress and increase sun exposure due to less sun sensitivity.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment on

References

    1. Abdel-Malek ZA, Knittel J, Kadekaro AL, Swope VB, Starner R. The melanocortin 1 receptor and the UV response of human melanocytes--a shift in paradigm. Photochem Photobiol. 2008;84:501–508. - PubMed
    1. Beaumont KA, Shekar SN, Cook AL, Duffy DL, Sturm RA. Red hair is the null phenotype of MC1R. Hum Mutat. 2008;29:E88–E94. - PubMed
    1. Curtin JA, Fridlyand J, Kageshita T, Patel HN, Busam KJ, Kutzner H, et al. Distinct sets of genetic alterations in melanoma. N Engl J Med. 2005;353:2135–2147. - PubMed
    1. Duffy DL, Box NF, Chen W, Palmer JS, Montgomery GW, James MR, et al. Interactive effects of MC1R and OCA2 on melanoma risk phenotypes. Hum Mol Genet. 2004;13:447–461. - PubMed
    1. Edlundh-Rose E, Egyhazi S, Omholt K, Mansson-Brahme E, Platz A, Hansson J, et al. NRAS and BRAF mutations in melanoma tumours in relation to clinical characteristics: a study based on mutation screening by pyrosequencing. Melanoma Res. 2006;16:471–478. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances