研究ers Uncover Insights into How Moles Change into 黑素瘤

摩尔和 黑素瘤 are both skin tumors that come from the same cell called melanocytes. The difference is that moles are usually harmless, while 黑素瘤 are cancerous 和 often deadly without treatment. 在研究中 今天发表于 eLife杂志, 罗伯特Judson-Torres, 博士学位, Huntsman Cancer Institute researcher 和 犹他大学 (the U) assistant professor of dermatology 和 oncological sciences, explains how common moles 和 黑素瘤 form 和 why moles can change into melanoma.

Melanocytes are cells that give color to the skin to protect it from the sun’s rays. Specific changes to the DNA sequence of melanocytes, called BRAF gene mutations, are found in over 75% of moles. The same change is also found in 50% of 黑素瘤 和 is common in cancers like colon 和 lung. It was thought that when melanocytes only have the BRAFV600E mutation the cell stops dividing, resulting in a mole. When melanocytes have other mutations with BRAFV600E, they divide uncontrollably, turning into melanoma. This model is called “oncogene-induced senescence.”

“A number of studies have challenged this model in recent years,贾德森-托雷斯说. “These studies have provided excellent data to suggest th在 oncogene-induced senescence model does not explain mole formation but wh在y have all lacked is an alternative explanation—which has remained elusive.”

With help from collaborators across Huntsman Cancer Institute 和 the University of California San Francisco, the study team took moles 和 黑素瘤 donated by patients 和 used transcriptomic profiling 和 digital holographic cytometry. Transcriptomic profiling lets researchers determine molecular differences between moles 和 黑素瘤. Digital holographic cytometry helps researchers track changes in human cells.