These data link AKT activation with MelCAM expression, and implicate that intervention of MelCAM-AKT signaling axis in melanoma is a potential therapeutical approach.
In this study, we elucidated the involvement of the up-regulation of RAS/MAPK and PI3K/AKT cascades in the pathogenesis of endometrial cancer and melanoma by analyzing the genes and molecules in these cascades.
In summary, epigenetic PTEN silencing seems to be a relevant mechanism of inactivating this tumor suppressor gene in melanoma that may promote melanoma development by derepression of the AKT pathway.
Our data uncover an unsuspected role of HH-GLI signaling in melanocytes and melanomas, demonstrate a role for this pathway in RAS-induced tumors, suggest a general integration of the RAS/AKT and HH-GLI pathways, and open a therapeutic approach for human melanomas.
Herein, we examined whether targeting the RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK pathway with the RAF inhibitor sorafenib and/or the PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway with the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin has therapeutic effects against melanoma.
In parallel, we assessed several human melanoma biopsy samples and found again that AKT2 was the predominantly activated AKT in these human melanoma biopsies.
Results show that KIT mutations are more common in vulvar melanomas than other types of mucosal melanomas and that both the RAF/MEK/ERK and PI3K/AKT pathways are activated in mucosal melanoma specimens.
Recent evidence supports miRNA dysregulation in melanoma impacting several well-known pathways such as the PI3K/AKT or RAS/MAPK pathways, but also underexplored cellular processes like protein glycosylation and immune modulation.
The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) regulatory factor SLUG (SNAI2) is a downstream target of SPARC and AKT in promoting melanoma cell invasion.
Finally, use of inhibitors to target downstream signaling through mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase and phosphatidylinositol 3-OH kinase or AKT are now entering clinical trials, and if these combinations can be safely delivered at sufficient dose to inhibit the targets, there is significant potential to target NRAS mutant melanoma.
These results indicate that tumor cell susceptibility to a GSI, whether alone or in combination with chemotherapy, are reliant upon reducing AKT phosphorylation and hence GSI in combination with chemotherapy may be useful as a new therapeutic approach in treating PTEN-wild-type melanoma.
Surprisingly, growth of BRAFV600E/PIK3CAH1047R melanomas was dependent on the protein kinase AKT; however, AKT inhibition had no effect on growth of BRAFV600E/PTENNull melanomas.
The apparent anti-neoplastic effects of ODAM in cultured melanoma and breast cancer cells are associated with increased PTEN expression, and suppression of AKT activity.