Melanoma

Peel through all the layers of the skin and discover the molecular origins of melanoma with our antibodies, ELISAs, and IHC kits

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Introduction

Melanoma is a form of skin cancer that arises out of the pigment producing cells known as melanocytes. While it is the least common form of skin cancer, affecting only about 100,000 new people each year, it is responsible for nearly 75% of all skin cancer related deaths. Melanoma is often caused by an overexposure to UV rays, although having an abnormal number of moles, fair skin, family history, and a weakened immune system can serve as risk factors as well. It is relatively treatable if detected early-on, but the survival rate begins to drop as the cancer begins to metastasize and spread to more parts of the body. Proteintech offers a wide variety of antibodies against tissue biomarkers to aid in melanoma detection and ELISA kits against serum biomarkers to study melanoma progression.

S100

S100 is a calcium binding protein that was named for its ability to be 100% soluble in saturated ammonium sulfate. It is thought one of the most sensitive markers for melanoma detection, however, it may not be the most specific as it is also expressed in other cell types, including astrocytes, nerve sheath cells, myoepithelial cells, adipocytes, and chondrocytes. S100 plays a role in several cellular functions including cell growth, cell cycle regulation, and cell motility. It can be useful in distinguishing melanoma from other malignancies when it is stained for in conjunction with other biomarkers.

Immunohistochemical analysis of paraffin-embedded human malignant melanoma tissue slide using 15146-1-AP (S100 beta antibody) at dilution of 1:800 (under 10x lens).

Melan-A

Melan-A is protein that associates with and assists in the expression, processing, and trafficking of pMel, a protein that plays a role in the organization of melanin-producing organelles within the melanocyte. It is expressed in more than 85% of melanomas and is typically localized to the membranes of melanosomes and endoplasmic reticulum. Since it is only expressed in melanocytes, there are some studies to suggest that melan-A might be a more sensitive and specific marker for melanoma detection than S100.

Immunohistochemical analysis of paraffin-embedded human malignant melanoma tissue slide using 18472-1-AP (MLANA antibody) at dilution of 1:4000 (under 10x lens).

NRAS

The NRAS protein is part of a larger family of GTPase proteins that participate in signaling pathways regulating cell division. Mutations within the NRAS gene are common and occur in nearly 15-20% of all melanoma cases. These mutations result in constitutively active forms of NRAS, leading to uncontrolled growth and tumors that are often more aggressive and have a higher propensity for metastasis. Due to this potent oncogenic activity, targeting the NRAS pathway has become an area of focus in the development of new immune therapies.

Immunohistochemical analysis of paraffin-embedded human malignant melanoma tissue slide using 18296-1-AP (NRAS-Specific antibody) at a dilution of 1:500 (under 10x lens).

Antibodies for Melanoma Research

Function	Marker	PTG Catalog
Cell Cycle, Growth, and Proliferation	CD10	18008-1-AP
	CDK4	11026-1-AP
	CSPG4	55027-1-AP
	Ki67	27309-1-AP
	S100	15146-1-AP
Cell Survival	MAGED2	15252-1-AP
Cancer Type Differentiation	CD63	25682-1-AP
	COX2	12375-1-AP
	Melan-A	18472-1-AP
	MIA	15734-1-AP
	SILV	27329-1-AP
	TRPM1	55111-1-AP
Metastasis	BRAF	20899-1-AP
	Fibronectin	15613-1-AP
	Galectin 3	60207-1-Ig
	MAGEC2	10280-1-AP
	MCAM	17564-1-AP
	MMP12	22989-1-AP
	MT1M	17281-1-AP
	MT2A	20809-1-AP
	MUC1	23614-1-AP
	NRAS	18296-1-AP
	Osteopontin	22952-1-AP
	p16INK4a	10883-1-AP
	STK11	10746-1-AP
	YBX1	20339-1-AP

IHC Kits for Melanoma Research

Function	Marker	PTG Catalog
Cell Cycle, Growth, and Proliferation	CD10	KHC0386
	CDK4	KHC0303
	SOX10	KHC0273
	S100	KHC0050
Cancer Type Differentiation	CD63	KHC0722
	COX2	KHC0770
	Melan-A	KHC0275
Metastasis	CALD1	KHC0274
	Calretinin	KHC0276
	Galectin 3	KHC0035
	MAGEC2	KHC0272
	MMP12	KHC0785
	NRAS	KHC0279
	Osteopontin	KHC0782
	YBX1	KHC0176

ELISA Kits to Study Melanoma Progression

Serum concentrations of biomarkers can be used as a tool for monitoring disease progression as it has been established that certain biomarker concentrations are directly correlated with specific stages of melanoma. Proteintech’s ELISA kits are highly sensitive and have been validated in several different sample sources including serum, plasma, and cell lysate supernatants.

PTG Catalog	Marker	Range	Sensitivity
KE00004	CRP	0.156-10 ng/mL	0.02 ng/mL
KE00168	HGF	0.313-20 ng/mL	0.26 ng/mL
KE00287	LDH-B	0.625-40 ng/mL	0.04 ng/mL
KE00164	MMP9	62.5-4000 pg/mL	10.0 pg/mL
KE00103	S100B	15.6-1000 pg/mL	1.0 pg/mL
KE00216	VEGF	31.25-2000 pg/mL	1 pg/mL
KE00239	CHI3L1/YKL40	31.25-2000 pg/mL	0.39 pg/mL

References

Davis, L. B., Shalin, S. C., & Tackett, A. J. (2019). Current state of melanoma diagnosis and treatment. Cancer Biology & Therapy, 20(11), 1366–1379. https://doi.org/10.1080/15384047.2019.1640032

Heppt, M. V., Siepmann, T., Engel, J., Schubert-Fritschle, G., Eckel, R., Mirlach, L., Kirchner, T., Jung, A. W., Gesierich, A., Ruzicka, T., Flaig, M. J., & Berking, C. (2017). Prognostic significance of BRAF and NRAS mutations in melanoma: a German study from routine care. BMC Cancer, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-017-3529-5

Muñoz-Couselo, E., Adelantado, E. Z., Ortiz, C., García, J., & Perez-Garcia, J. (2017). NRAS-mutant melanoma: current challenges and future prospect. OncoTargets and Therapy, Volume 10, 3941–3947. https://doi.org/10.2147/ott.s117121

Ohsie, S. J., Sarantopoulos, G. P., Cochran, A. J., & Binder, S. W. (2008). Immunohistochemical characteristics of melanoma. Journal of Cutaneous Pathology, 35(5), 433–444. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0560.2007.00891.x

Weinstein, D. E., Leininger, J., Hamby, C. V., & Safai, B. (2014). Diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in melanoma. The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, 7(6), 13–24.