Regulator Gene a Melanoma Target

Cancer researchers have found that the MITF (microphthalmia-associated transcription factor) master regulator gene is highly amplified in malignant melanoma and presents an attractive target for chemotherapy.

Investigators at Yale University (New Haven, CT, USA) used the new HistoRx Incorporated (New Haven, CT, USA) AQUA (Automated Quantitative Analysis) System to analyze gene numbers in cultures of NCI160 melanoma cells. AQUA is a system that combines fluorescence-based imaging with automated microscopy and high-throughput tissue microarray technologies.

The researchers reported in the July 7, 2005, issue of Nature that the melanocyte master regulator MITF was the target of novel melanoma amplification. MITF amplification was more prevalent in metastatic disease and correlated with decreased overall patient survival. Expression of multiple copies of the MITF gene enhanced the ability of the melanoma cells to develop resistance to chemotherapy. Therefore, drugs designed to prevent amplification of the gene would increase sensitivity to anti-cancer drugs.

"According to the study, these data suggest that MITF represents a distinct class of ‘lineage survival' or ‘lineage addiction' oncogenes required for both tissue-specific development and tumor progression,” said contributing author Dr. David Rimm, associate professor of pathology at the Yale School of Medicine.




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