The Association of Residential Altitude on the Molecular Profile and Survival of Melanoma: Results of an Interreg Study

Abstract

Cutaneous melanoma (CM) incidence is rising worldwide and is the primary cause of death from skin disease in the Western world. Personal risk factors linked to environmental ultraviolet radiation (UVR) are well-known etiological factors contributing to its development. Nevertheless, UVR can contribute to the development of CM in different patterns and to varying degrees. The present study aimed at investigating whether altitude of residence can contribute to the development of specific types of CM and/or influence its progression. To this aim, 306 formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues from primary CM diagnosed in different geographical areas were submitted to B-RAF proto-oncogene serine/threonine kinase (BRAF) and N-RAS proto-oncogene GTPase (NRAS) mutational status detection and mRNA and miRNA profiling by qPCR. Genes were chosen for their functions in specific processes, such as immune response (CD2, PDL1, or CD274) and pigmentation (MITF, TYRP1, and TRPM1). Furthermore, four microRNAs, namely miR-150-5p, miR-155-5p, miR-204-5p, and miR-211-5p, were included in the profiling. Our results highlight differences in the gene expression profile of primary CM with respect to the geographical area and the altitude of residence. Melanoma-specific survival was influenced by the gene expression of mRNA and miRNAs and varied with the altitude of patients’ residence. In detail, TYRP1 and miR-204-5p were highly expressed in patients living at higher altitudes, unlike miR-150-5p, miR-155-5p, and miR-211-5p. Since miRNAs are highly regulated by reactive oxygen species, it is possible that different regulatory mechanisms characterize CMs at different altitudes due to the different environment and UVR intensity.

Molecular Profile of Skin Cancer

“…In terms of UV exposure, TYRP1 (tyrosinase-related protein 1) and miR-204-5p (a member of the miRNA family; it is down-regulated and functions as a tumor suppressor in various types of human tumors) were highly expressed in patients with cutaneous melanoma living at higher altitudes [39]. Finally, we must not forget the C-KIT gene mutation that is retrieved in 11% of patients with melanoma.…”

Knockdown of long non-coding RNA NEAT1 relieves the inflammatory response of spinal cord injury through targeting miR-211-5p/MAPK1 axis

“…MiR-211-5p was first identified as a diagnostic biomarker of melanoma [ 8 ]. With the deepening of researches on miR-211-5p, other biological functions had been reported.…”

“…In recent years, studies demonstrated that miR-211-5p had therapeutic functions on melanoma and other tumors [8][9][10]. Mature miRNA is assembled into the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC), which recognizes the 3 UTR region of target gene mRNA by complementary base pairing, and guides the RISC to degrade the target mRNA or block the mRNA translation, thereby negatively regulating the expression of the target gene [11].…”

The Integrative Analysis of Competitive Endogenous RNA Regulatory Networks in Coronary Artery Disease

“…In osteoarthritis, miR-211-5p contributed to chondrocyte differentiation by suppressing Fibulin-4 expression (35,36). Several previous studies showed that mir-211-5p was also associated with many types of cancer, including renal cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, breast cancer, and malignant melanoma (37)(38)(39)(40)(41)(42)(43). SMOC1 is a protein-coding gene that may play an important role in ocular development (44)(45)(46)(47).…”