Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 28, 2026

Spatial and Temporal Control of Murine Melanoma Initiation from Mutant Melanocyte Stem Cells
06:09

Spatial and Temporal Control of Murine Melanoma Initiation from Mutant Melanocyte Stem Cells

Published on: June 7, 2019

RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK and PI3K/PTEN/AKT Signaling in Malignant Melanoma Progression and Therapy

Ichiro Yajima1, Mayuko Y Kumasaka, Nguyen Dinh Thang

  • 1Unit of Environmental Health Sciences, Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Life and Health Sciences, Chubu University, Kasugai, Aichi 487-8501, Japan.

Dermatology Research and Practice
|October 21, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Understanding the RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK (MAPK) and PI3K/PTEN/AKT (AKT) signaling pathways is crucial for developing new therapies for cutaneous malignant melanoma, a serious and treatment-resistant skin cancer.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Dermatology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Cutaneous malignant melanoma is an aggressive skin cancer resistant to conventional treatments.
  • Ultraviolet radiation is a key environmental trigger for melanoma development, causing genetic changes in melanocytes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the roles of MAPK and AKT signaling pathways in melanoma development and progression.
  • To highlight the importance of understanding these pathways for improved therapeutic strategies.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of signaling pathways involved in melanoma.
  • Analysis of genetic alterations in key pathway components (RAF, RAS, PTEN).

Main Results:

  • MAPK and AKT pathways are frequently activated in human melanomas due to genetic alterations.
  • Mutations in RAF, RAS, and PTEN promote melanoma by driving antiapoptosis, proliferation, angiogenesis, and invasion.

Conclusions:

  • Constitutive activation of MAPK and AKT signaling is central to melanoma pathogenesis.
  • Targeting these pathways offers potential for novel melanoma therapies.

More Related Videos

A 3D Organotypic Melanoma Spheroid Skin Model08:49

A 3D Organotypic Melanoma Spheroid Skin Model

Published on: May 18, 2018

Characterize Disease-related Mutants of RAF Family Kinases by Using a Set of Practical and Feasible Methods07:49

Characterize Disease-related Mutants of RAF Family Kinases by Using a Set of Practical and Feasible Methods

Published on: July 17, 2019

Related Concept Videos

PI3K/mTOR/AKT Signaling Pathway01:22

PI3K/mTOR/AKT Signaling Pathway

The mammalian target of rapamycin  (mTOR) is a serine/threonine kinase that regulates growth, proliferation, and cell survival in response to hormones, growth factors, or nutrient availability. This kinase exists in two structurally and functionally distinct forms: mTOR complex 1  (mTORC1) and mTOR complex 2  (mTORC2). The first form (mTORC1) is composed of a rapamycin-sensitive Raptor and proline-rich Akt substrate, PRAS40. In contrast,  mTORC2 consists of a rapamycin-insensitive companion...
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression03:03

mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression

The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression03:03

mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression

The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
MAPK Signaling Cascades01:07

MAPK Signaling Cascades

Mitogen-activated protein kinase, or MAPK pathway, activates three sequential kinases to regulate cellular responses such as proliferation, differentiation, survival, and apoptosis. The canonical MAPK pathway starts with a mitogen or growth factor binding to an RTK. The activated RTKs stimulate Ras, which recruits Raf or MAP3 Kinase (MAPKKK), the first kinase of the MAPK signaling cascade. Raf further phosphorylates and activates MEK or MAP2 Kinases (MAPKK), which in turn phosphorylates MAP...
Abnormal Proliferation02:23

Abnormal Proliferation

Under normal conditions, most adult cells remain in a non-proliferative state unless stimulated by internal or external factors to replace lost cells. Abnormal cell proliferation is a condition in which the cell's growth exceeds and is uncoordinated with normal cells. In such situations, cell division persists in the same excessive manner even after cessation of the stimuli, leading to persistent tumors. The tumor arises from the damaged cells that replicate to pass the damage to the daughter...
Interactions Between Signaling Pathways01:19

Interactions Between Signaling Pathways

Signaling cascades usually lack linearity. Multiple pathways interact and regulate one another, allowing cells to integrate and respond to diverse environmental stimuli.
Convergence and divergence, and cross-talk between signaling pathways
Two distinct signaling pathways can converge on a single functional unit, which may either be a single protein or a complex of proteins. The response is either functionally distinct or synergistic between the two pathways but different from the response...