Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 24, 2026

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

Published on: June 7, 2019

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CD271 is a molecular switch with divergent roles in melanoma and melanocyte development

Fabian V Filipp1,2,3, Chen Li4,5, Alexander D Boiko6,7

  • 1Cancer Systems Biology, Institute of Computational Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, D-85764, München, Germany. fabian.filipp@helmholtz-muenchen.de.

Scientific Reports
|May 24, 2019
PubMed

Insights

The neurotrophin receptor CD271 acts as a molecular switch in melanoma. It balances tumor growth pathways against differentiation and cell death, depending on cellular context.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Signaling

Background:

  • Dysregulated cell signaling networks drive tumor proliferation and invasion.
  • The neurotrophin receptor CD271 (NGFR/p75NTR) is crucial for melanocytic cell lineage regulation.
  • Understanding CD271's role in melanoma is vital for targeted therapy development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of CD271 in altering melanoma cell signaling networks during neoplastic transformation.
  • To identify CD271 as a potential regulator of cell fate in melanoma development.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of clinical melanoma samples and normal melanocytes.
  • Global gene expression profiling.
  • Molecular network mapping.

Main Results:

  • Elevated CD271 levels switch melanoma cells between proliferation/survival and differentiation/cell death.
  • Two neurotrophin signaling arms balance tumor growth (E2F, MYC, SREBP1, AKT3) versus differentiation/apoptosis (TRAF6/IRAK/AP1, TP53).
  • CD271 functions as a context-specific switch between normal development and malignant transformation.

Conclusions:

  • CD271 plays a critical role in determining cell fate in melanoma.
  • Targeting CD271 signaling may offer novel therapeutic strategies for melanoma.
  • This study provides a molecular network map highlighting CD271's dual role.

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