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Updated: Jun 13, 2026
Molecular Profiling of the Invasive Tumor Microenvironment in a 3-Dimensional Model of Colorectal Cancer Cells and Ex vivo Fibroblasts
Published on: April 29, 2014
Proteomic analysis of laser microdissected melanoma cells from skin organ cultures
Brian L Hood1, Jelena Grahovac, Melanie S Flint
1Department of Pharmacology & Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Abstract:
Gaining insights into the molecular events that govern the progression from melanoma in situ to advanced melanoma and understanding how the local microenvironment at the melanoma site influences this progression are two clinically pivotal aspects that to date are largely unexplored. In an effort to identify key regulators of the crosstalk between melanoma cells and the melanoma-skin microenvironment, primary and metastatic human melanoma cells were seeded into skin organ cultures (SOCs) and grown for two weeks. Melanoma cells were recovered from SOCs by laser microdissection and whole-cell tryptic digests were analyzed by nanoflow liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The differential protein abundances were calculated by spectral counting, the results of which provides evidence that cell-matrix and cell-adhesion molecules that are upregulated in the presence of these melanoma cells recapitulate proteomic data obtained from comparative analysis of human biopsies of invasive melanoma and a tissue sample of adjacent, noninvolved skin. This concordance demonstrates the value of SOCs for conducting proteomic investigations of the melanoma microenvironment.
Insights
Researchers explored melanoma progression using skin organ cultures (SOCs). They identified upregulated cell-matrix and cell-adhesion molecules, mirroring invasive melanoma proteomic data, highlighting the microenvironment's role.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Proteomics
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Melanoma progression from in situ to advanced stages is not fully understood.
- The influence of the tumor microenvironment on melanoma progression remains largely unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the molecular regulators of melanoma cell and microenvironment crosstalk.
- To identify key proteins involved in melanoma progression within the skin microenvironment.
Main Methods:
- Human melanoma cells (primary and metastatic) were cultured in skin organ cultures (SOCs) for two weeks.
- Melanoma cells were isolated using laser microdissection.
- Proteomic analysis was performed using nanoflow liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).
- Differential protein abundances were quantified via spectral counting.
Main Results:
- Upregulation of cell-matrix and cell-adhesion molecules was observed in melanoma cells within SOCs.
- These proteomic changes in SOCs mirrored findings from human biopsies of invasive melanoma versus adjacent non-involved skin.
- This concordance validates the use of SOCs for studying melanoma proteomic microenvironment.
Conclusions:
- Skin organ cultures (SOCs) serve as a valuable model for proteomic investigations of the melanoma microenvironment.
- The study identified key molecular players in melanoma progression and microenvironment interaction.
- Findings provide insights into the molecular events driving melanoma from in situ to advanced disease.
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