Reserchers of University Sacro Cuore of Rome have identified a new molecule, absent in melanoma cells, that inhibits melanoma cell proliferation.
Abstract: Histidine triad nucleotide-binding protein 1 (HINT1) is a haploinsufficient tumor suppressor gene that inhibits the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in colon cancer cells and Microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) activity in human mast cells. MITF and β-catenin play a central role in melanocyte and melanoma cell survival, and this study aimed to investigate the effects of HINT1 on the MITF and β-catenin pathways in malignant melanoma cells. We found that HINT1 inhibits MITF and β-catenin transcriptional activity, and both proteins can be co-immunoprecipitated with an anti-HINT1-specific antibody in melanoma cell lines. Stable, constitutive overexpression of the HINT1 protein in human melanoma cells significantly impaired cell proliferation in vitro and tumorigenesis in vivo……….
Read more in “Cell Cycle”: The tumor suppressor HINT1 regulates MITF and β-catenin transcriptional activity in melanoma cells: Volume 11, Issue 11 June 1, 2012. Pages 2206 – 2215
