MicroRNAs as an emerging target for melanoma therapy

Despite the growing focus on microRNAs (miRNAs) as novel diagnostic tools and therapeutic targets in cancer, global characterization of miRNA expression patterns and their specific targets in melanoma has lagged. In this issue, Reuland et al. (2012) identify miR-26a as being specifically downregulated in human melanoma cells. They further establish Silencer of Death Domains as a novel target for miR-26a, which functionally mediates melanoma cell death. These findings suggest that miR-26a may serve as a promising novel therapy for subsets of melanoma.