Investigating the BRN2/MITF axis in melanoma sphere formation and as a therapeutic target for metastatic melanoma (2011-2012)
Abstract
The pigment responsible for skin, hair and eye colour is produced by the melanocyte cell that arises from a single source during development of the embryo. How these cells arise from a latent reservoir of adult human stem cells has not been characterised nor how they move throughout the body. This process derives from specialised cell growth as spheres and is mimicked by melanoma cells during the metastatic process. The study of these events and regulatory processes will provide insight into this disease.
