Abstract
The metastasis suppressor, BRMS1, has been demonstrated to cause dramatic regression of metastatic lesions without blocking orthotopic tumor growth. The role of BRMS1 is well-documented for several non-melanoma malignancies, such as breast cancer, ovarian cancer and non-small-cell lung cancer. However, its role in melanoma is just beginning to be understood, with a recent article by Slipicevic et al. highlighting the levels of expression of BRMS1 in benign nevi, primary and metastatic melanoma samples. Their findings emphasize that the intracellular location of BRMS1 protein (cytoplasmic or nuclear), appears to have a significant impact upon the metastatic capacity of melanoma cells. Interestingly, this selective localization translates into a statistically significant decrease in the relapse-free period in melanoma patients, further associated with a thicker Breslow's depth of primary melanomas. However, and more importantly, this study begins to define a clearer role for BRMS1 in melanoma that is strictly dependent upon its cellular location, with nuclear expression associated with invasive and metastatic capacity and cytoplasmic expression resulting in repressive effects upon progression and metastasis.Please see related article: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2407/12/73
Highlights
* Correspondence: ariker1234@gmail.com 1Advocate Christ Medical Center, Advocate Cancer Institute, Oak Lawn, IL, USA Full list of author information is available at the end of the article. It has been over a decade since the initial reports of the discovery and functional relevance of Breast Cancer Metastasis Suppressor 1 (BRMS1) [1,2]
Further relevant data may be obtained through distinct experiments that target BRMS1 function to distinct compartments, revealing more mechanistic details. It will be interesting if fatty acid binding protein 7 (FABP7) is found to be a downstream target of nuclear BRMS1. Does it really matter where BRMS1 expression is found? This paper has consistently shown that there are significant differences in staining intensity between cytoplasmic and nuclear BRMS1 expression
Slipicevic et al show for the first time that there is a differential expression of BRMS1 within the cytoplasm and nucleus of melanoma cells, with cellular localization determining its effect within the tumor microenvironment
Summary
It has been over a decade since the initial reports of the discovery and functional relevance of Breast Cancer Metastasis Suppressor 1 (BRMS1) [1,2]. Background It has been over a decade since the initial reports of the discovery and functional relevance of Breast Cancer Metastasis Suppressor 1 (BRMS1) [1,2]. In a recent study published in BMC Cancer by Slipicevic et al, the authors show that the intracellular location of BRMS1, whether cytoplasmic or nuclear, appears to affect relevant outcome parameters in melanoma patients.
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