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Screening for Melanoma Modifiers using a Zebrafish Autochthonous Tumor Model
Published on: November 13, 2012
Guanine nucleotide exchange factor H1 can be a new biomarker of melanoma
Jie Shi1, Bingyu Guo1, Yu Zhang1
1Reconstructive and Plastic Surgery, The General Hospital of Shenyang Military Region, Shenyang, People's Republic of China.
Abstract:
Guanine nucleotide exchange factor H1 (GEF-H1), which couples microtubule dynamics to RhoA activation, is a microtubule-regulated exchange factor. Studies have shown that GEF-H1 can be involved in various cancer pathways; however, the clinical significance of GEF-H1 expression and functions in melanoma has not been established. In this study, we investigated the relationship between clinical outcomes and GEF-H1 functions in melanoma. A total of 60 cases of different grades of melanoma samples were used to detect the expression of GEF-H1. Results showed that both messenger RNA and protein levels of GEF-H1 were significantly higher in high-grade melanomas. Furthermore, patients with high GEF-H1 expression had a shorter overall survival (22 months) than patients with low level of GEF-H1 expression (33.38 months). We also found that GEF-H1 can promote the proliferation and metastasis of melanoma cells. In summary, these results suggested that GEF-H1 may be a valuable biomarker for assessing the degree and prognosis of melanoma following surgery.
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