Inhibition of p38/MK2 signaling prevents vascular invasion of melanoma

Melanoma cells can switch between distinct gene expression profiles, resulting in “proliferative” and “invasive” phenotypes. Signaling pathways involved in this switch were analyzed by gene expression profiling of a cohort of 22 patient-derived melanoma cell lines. E-cadherin/CDH1 negativity was identified as a surrogate marker for the invasive phenotype. CDH1 expression could be turned on and off by modulating activity of p38 or its downstream target MK2, suggesting that this pathway controls melanoma progression.

Source: Journal of Investigative Dermatology - October 13, 2019 Category: Dermatology Authors: Judith Wenzina, Silvio Holzner, Emmi Puujalka, Phil F. Cheng, Agnes Forsthuber, Karin Neum üller, Klaudia Schossleitner, Beate M. Lichtenberger, Mitchell P. Levesque, Peter Petzelbauer Tags: Original Article Source Type: research