SUMMARY We describe the landscape of genomic alterations in cutaneous melanomas through DNA, RNA, and protein-based analysis of 333 primary and/or metastatic melanomas from 331 patients. We establish a framework for genomic classification into one of four subtypes based on the pattern of the most prevalent significantly mutated genes: mutant BRAF, mutant RAS, mutant NF1, and Triple-WT (wild-type). Integrative analysis reveals enrichment of KIT mutations and focal amplifications and complex structural rearrangements as a feature of the Triple-WT subtype. We found no significant outcome correlation with genomic classification, but samples assigned a transcriptomic subclass enriched for immune gene expression associated with lymphocyte infiltrate on pathology review and high LCK protein expression, a T cell marker, were associated with improved patient survival. This clinicopathological and multidimensional analysis suggests that the prognosis of melanoma patients with regional metastases is influenced by tumor stroma immunobiology, offering insights to further personalize therapeutic decision-making.

Have you seen the film? Coupling a spray‐coating technique with a facile, low‐cost, efficient and environmentally friendly electrochemical method may realize the controllable synthesis of large‐area and patterned electrochemically reduced graphene oxide films on various conductive and insulating substrates with thicknesses ranging from a single monolayer to several microns (see figure).

We performed a multistage genome-wide association study of melanoma. In a discovery cohort of 1804 melanoma cases and 1026 controls, we identified loci at chromosomes 15q13.1 (HERC2/OCA2 region) and 16q24.3 (MC1R) regions that reached genome-wide significance within this study and also found strong evidence for genetic effects on susceptibility to melanoma from markers on chromosome 9p21.3 in the p16/ARF region and on chromosome 1q21.3 (ARNT/LASS2/ANXA9 region). The most significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the 15q13.1 locus (rs1129038 and rs12913832) lie within a genomic region that has profound effects on eye and skin color; notably, 50% of variability in eye color is associated with variation in the SNP rs12913832. Because eye and skin colors vary across European populations, we further evaluated the associations of the significant SNPs after carefully adjusting for European substructure. We also evaluated the top 10 most significant SNPs by using data from three other genome-wide scans. Additional in silico data provided replication of the findings from the most significant region on chromosome 1q21.3 rs7412746 (P = 6 × 10(-10)). Together, these data identified several candidate genes for additional studies to identify causal variants predisposing to increased risk for developing melanoma.

An effective and facile approach for the preparation of multilayered nanostructure of gold nanorods (Au NRs) has been demonstrated. Linear polyethylenimine (LPEI) was selected as a polymeric adhesive layer, and an anionic polyelectrolyte poly(sodium styrenesulfonate) (PSS) was used as the linker of the positively charged Au NRs in multilayered nanostructure. They were deposited onto the LPEI-modified indium-doped tin oxide (ITO) substrate alternately using the layer-by-layer assembly technique via electrostatic interactions. The plasmonic property of the multilayered nanostructure of Au NRs is tunable by the controlled self-assembly process. FE-SEM was used to study the morphologies of the resulted substrates with Au NRs monolayer membrane and with Au NRs multilayered membrane. More importantly, it was found that the multilayered NRs films could be used as a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrate for probing 4-aminothiophenol (4-ATP).