RAB7 controls melanoma progression by exploiting a lineage-specific wiring of the endolysosomal pathway

Abstract

Although common cancer hallmarks are well established, lineage-restricted oncogenes remain less understood. Here, we report an inherent dependency of melanoma cells on the small GTPase RAB7, identified within a lysosomal gene cluster that distinguishes this malignancy from over 35 tumor types. Analyses in human cells, clinical specimens, and mouse models demonstrated that RAB7 is an early-induced melanoma driver whose levels can be tuned to favor tumor invasion, ultimately defining metastatic risk. Importantly, RAB7 levels and function were independent of MITF, the best-characterized melanocyte lineage-specific transcription factor. Instead, we describe the neuroectodermal master modulator SOX10 and the oncogene MYC as RAB7 regulators. These results reveal a unique wiring of the lysosomal pathway that melanomas exploit to foster tumor progression.