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Related Concept Videos

Sensory Functions of the Skin01:16

Sensory Functions of the Skin

The skin is the largest organ of the human body and plays a crucial role in our sensory perception. It contains a vast network of sensory receptors that contribute to the skin's protective function by perceiving physical, biological, and environmental cues and generating relevant responses.
There are two main categories of receptors on the skin: capsulated and non-capsulated. The non-capsulated ones are mainly the pain receptors. The capsulated ones can be further categorized based on the...
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Skin Cancer

Skin cancer is a type of cancer that occurs when there is an abnormal growth of skin cells, usually triggered by damage to the DNA within the skin cells. It is primarily caused by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun or artificial sources like tanning beds. Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer worldwide, and its incidence continues to rise.
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Chemotaxis and Direction of Cell Migration01:21

Chemotaxis and Direction of Cell Migration

Cells can detect chemical cues in their environment and reorganize the cytoskeleton to migrate toward them or away from them. This directional migration, called chemotaxis, is essential during embryogenesis and development, immune response, tissue repair and regeneration, and reproduction. These chemical cues can either attract or repel the cell's movement. For example, axon development is determined by a combination of chemoattractants and chemorepellents that direct the growing axon towards...
Major Somatic Sensory Pathways01:28

Major Somatic Sensory Pathways

Sensory impulses related to touch, pressure, vibration, and proprioception from various body parts, such as the limbs, trunk, neck, and posterior head, travel to the cerebral cortex through the posterior column-medial lemniscus pathway. The pathway’s name derives from the two white-matter tracts that convey the impulses: the spinal cord's posterior column and the brainstem's medial lemniscus. First-order sensory neurons extend their axons into the spinal cord, forming the posterior columns...
Mitogens and the Cell Cycle02:38

Mitogens and the Cell Cycle

Mitogens and their receptors play a crucial role in controlling the progression of the cell cycle. However, the loss of mitogenic control over cell division leads to tumor formation. Therefore, mitogens and mitogen receptors play an important role in cancer research. For instance, the epidermal growth factor (EGF) - a type of mitogen and its transmembrane receptor (EGFR), decides the fate of the cell's proliferation. When EGF binds to EGFR, a member of the ErbB family of tyrosine kinase...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 13, 2026

Pharmacologic Induction of Epidermal Melanin and Protection Against Sunburn in a Humanized Mouse Model
12:37

Pharmacologic Induction of Epidermal Melanin and Protection Against Sunburn in a Humanized Mouse Model

Published on: September 7, 2013

An Itch Receptor Drives Melanoma.

Naina Gour1,2, Aishwarya Atakkatan3, Moloud Akbarzadeh4

  • 1Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.

Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|June 12, 2026
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Mas-Related GPCR X4 (MRGPRX4), a receptor for itch, unexpectedly drives melanoma. Inhibiting MRGPRX4 reduces melanoma growth and invasion, revealing it as a potential therapeutic target.

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Last Updated: Jun 13, 2026

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12:37

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Published on: September 7, 2013

Spatial and Temporal Control of Murine Melanoma Initiation from Mutant Melanocyte Stem Cells
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04:59

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Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Dermatology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Mas-Related GPCR X4 (MRGPRX4) is known as a sensory neuron receptor involved in cholestatic itch.
  • Melanoma is a complex skin cancer with various drivers and resistance mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of MRGPRX4 in melanoma development and progression.
  • To explore MRGPRX4 as a potential therapeutic target for melanoma.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of MRGPRX4 expression in melanoma tissues.
  • Ectopic expression of MRGPRX4 in mouse melanocytes to induce melanoma.
  • Multi-omics analysis (e.g., transcriptomics) to understand molecular pathways.
  • Pharmacologic inhibition of MRGPRX4.

Main Results:

  • MRGPRX4 is upregulated in invasive melanoma, particularly in dedifferentiated, therapy-resistant, and neural-crest-like states.
  • Ectopic MRGPRX4 expression drives highly metastatic melanoma in mice.
  • MRGPRX4 promotes melanoma proliferation and invasion via PI3K-AKT-MAPK signaling.
  • MRGPRX4 expression is linked to a mesenchymal/neural-crest-like program and remodels the tumor microenvironment to an immunosuppressive state.
  • Pharmacologic inhibition of MRGPRX4 suppressed melanoma growth and invasion.

Conclusions:

  • Melanoma hijacks MRGPRX4 to gain invasive and immunosuppressive properties.
  • MRGPRX4 is an unexpected oncogene and a promising therapeutic target for melanoma.