Mohita Tagore, Emiliano Hergenreder, Sarah C Perlee, Nelly M Cruz, Laura Menocal, Shruthy Suresh, Eric Chan, Maayan Baron, Stephanie Melendez, Asim Dave, Walid K Chatila, Jeremie Nsengimana, Richard P Koche, Travis J Hollmann, Trey Ideker, Lorenz Studer, Andrea Schietinger, Richard M White
UNLABELLED: Oncogenes can initiate tumors only in certain cellular contexts, which is referred to as oncogenic competence. In melanoma, whether cells in the microenvironment can endow such competence remains unclear. Using a combination of zebrafish transgenesis coupled with human tissues, we demonstrate that GABAergic signaling between keratinocytes and melanocytes promotes melanoma initiation by BRAFV600E. GABA is synthesized in melanoma cells, which then acts on GABA-A receptors in keratinocytes...
October 5, 2023: Cancer Discovery