425 GRPR is an effective target for melanoma

Abstract

While tremendous progress has been made in the understanding of the mechanisms leading to cancers, the understanding of the mechanisms governing the formation of metastases remains poorly understood. The cell-cell adhesion protein E-cadherin (E-cad) has been associated with the metastatic development of melanoma, but the mechanisms have not yet been described nor has the actual impact of E-cad been evaluated. Here, using a novel mouse model expressing the oncogenic form NRASQ61K in melanocyte, we show that the conditional deletion of Cdh1 (which encode E-cad) does not influence melanoma initiation but dramatically promotes metastases.