Yamamura Hisao, Ugawa Shinya, Ueda Takashi, Shimada Shoichi
Department of Molecular Morphology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya City University, 1 Kawasumi Mizuhocho Mizuhoku, Nagoya 467-8601, Japan.
Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2008 Feb 8;366(2):489-92. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2007.11.177. Epub 2007 Dec 10.
Malignant melanoma is the most deadly form of skin cancer and its incidence is steadily increasing worldwide. The plasma membrane in melanoma cells possesses a variety of ion channels, so its profile is thought to lead to a novel target for medical treatment for malignant melanoma. Here we showed that human melanoma G-361 cells expressed the epithelial Na(+) channel delta subunit (ENaC delta), which is largely unknown in physiological and pathological functions in non-neuronal tissues. Expression analyses at the level of mRNA clearly revealed that ENaC delta transcript was strongly expressed in human melanoma cells using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and cell-based in situ hybridization techniques. Other ENaC subunits (alpha, beta, and gamma) were also distributed in human melanoma cells. In addition, human melanoma cells possessed an abundant expression of ENaC delta protein by immunocytochemistry. These results provide an attractive target for drug development of malignant melanoma.
恶性黑色素瘤是最致命的皮肤癌形式，其发病率在全球范围内正稳步上升。黑色素瘤细胞的质膜拥有多种离子通道，因此其特征被认为可成为恶性黑色素瘤医学治疗的新靶点。在此我们表明，人黑色素瘤G - 361细胞表达上皮钠通道δ亚基（ENaCδ），其在非神经组织的生理和病理功能方面很大程度上尚不明确。利用逆转录 - 聚合酶链反应及基于细胞的原位杂交技术，在mRNA水平进行的表达分析清楚地显示，ENaCδ转录本在人黑色素瘤细胞中强烈表达。其他ENaC亚基（α、β和γ）也分布于人黑色素瘤细胞中。此外，通过免疫细胞化学方法发现人黑色素瘤细胞大量表达ENaCδ蛋白。这些结果为恶性黑色素瘤的药物研发提供了一个有吸引力的靶点。
