Phenotype switching in melanoma

Phenotype switching in melanoma. Upon activation of the signaling pathways MAPK, PI3K, WNT, and TGFβ, a changed expression of specific markers leads to ECM degradation and reorganization of the cytoskeleton, which facilitates invasion and metastasis. Using single-cell approaches, it has become evident that phenotype switching is not binary but rather a multistep process in which cells transit through a series of intermediate cell states expressing combinations of epithelial and mesenchymal phenotypes. These intermediate states can simultaneously display proliferation, invasion, and stemness features. Transcriptional regulators are highlighted in italics. The red indicates the switch between E- and N-cadherin and the responsible genes CDH1 and CDH2. Melanocytic markers are highlighted in orange, and other markers are in blue. Created with BioRender.com (accessed on 19 September 2023).

Publication

Exploring the Complex and Multifaceted Interplay between Melanoma Cells and the Tumor Microenvironment (2023) Magdalena Kuras, et al. Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Sep;24(18):14403. Figure: F4. Homo sapiens

Disease mentions