How to RESEARCH ADVANCES PREVENTION OF SKIN CANCER

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1. In a study published in proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers have identified a protein that plays an important, early role in prevention of skin cancer through increase in protective skin pigmentation after exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. The protein, called SOX9, is a transcription factor known to participate in embryo development and to be expressed in many adult tissues including the heart, Kidney, and brain
2. This study, led by investigators at the American National Cancer Institute (NCI), confirms the importance of SOX9 to adult skin cells and is the first to show that a protein in the SOX family can be regulated by UV radiation. Melanoma, a cancer of melanocytes, is the most deadly of the skin cancers, and its incidence is believed to be rising globally. Increased pigmentation of the skin from UV is through to help minimize the damage from UV and the research on SOX9 not only gives important insights into the intricate mechanism our body uses to protect itself from ultraviolet rays, but also into cellular pathways that might contribute to the origins and spread of melanoma. After showing that melanocytes in normal human skin express SOX9 under normal conditions, the investigators exposed normal human melanocytes to UV radiation, and compared the levels of SOX9 between radiated and non-radiated cells. They found that levels of SOX9 increased within two hours after UV exposure, and continued to increase until eight hours after exposure.
3. The investigators next examined a cell-signaling pathway, called the cAMP pathway, that is known contribute to the regulation of human pigmentation and mediate the production of melanin. They exposed normal human melanocytes and reconstructed skin samples to a chemical called forskolin, which stimulates the cAMP pathway. They also exposed another set of cells and skin samples to UV radiation. Both treatments led to increased levels of SOX9. The increases could be prevented by a cAMP inhibitor, indicating that the cAMP pathway plays a critical role in the increased levels of SOX9 after UV exposure. The most novel part of the study was the identification of a new transcription factor that may be the earliest responder to stimulation of pigmentation such as seen in the tanning reaction following UV exposure. SOX9 is likely one of the first factors activated to start the chain of events that eventually leads to increase in skin pigmentation.