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Melanoma development involves members of the AGC kinase family, including AKT, PKC, and, most recently, PDK1, as elucidated recently in studies of Braf::Pten mutant melanomas. Here, we report that PDK1 contributes functionally to skin pigmentation and to the development of melanomas harboring a wild-type PTEN genotype, which occurs in about 70% of human melanomas. The PDK1 substrate SGK3 was determined to be an important mediator of PDK1 activities in melanoma cells. Genetic or pharmacologic inhibition of PDK1 and SGK3 attenuated melanoma growth by inducing G1 phase cell-cycle arrest. In a synthetic lethal screen, pan-PI3K inhibition synergized with PDK1 inhibition to suppress melanoma growth, suggesting that focused blockade of PDK1/PI3K signaling might offer a new therapeutic modality for wild-type PTEN tumors. We also noted that responsiveness to PDK1 inhibition associated with decreased expression of pigmentation genes and increased expression of cytokines and inflammatory genes, suggesting a method to stratify patients with melanoma for PDK1-based therapies. Overall, our work highlights the potential significance of PDK1 as a therapeutic target to improve melanoma treatment., (©2015 American Association for Cancer Research.)

Braf(V600E) induces benign, growth-arrested melanocytic nevus development, but also drives melanoma formation. Cdkn2a loss in Braf(V600E) melanocytes in mice results in rare progression to melanoma, but only after stable growth arrest as nevi. Immediate progression to melanoma is prevented by upregulation of miR-99/100, which downregulates mTOR and IGF1R signaling. mTORC1 activation through Stk11 (Lkb1) loss abrogates growth arrest of Braf(V600E) melanocytic nevi, but is insufficient for complete progression to melanoma. Cdkn2a loss is associated with mTORC2 and Akt activation in human and murine melanocytic neoplasms. Simultaneous Cdkn2a and Lkb1 inactivation in Braf(V600E) melanocytes results in activation of both mTORC1 and mTORC2/Akt, inducing rapid melanoma formation in mice. In this model, activation of both mTORC1/2 is required for Braf-induced melanomagenesis., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Malignant melanoma is characterized by frequent metastasis, however, specific changes that regulate this process have not been clearly delineated. Although it is well known that Wnt signaling is frequently dysregulated in melanoma, the functional implications of this observation are unclear. By modulating β-catenin levels in a mouse model of melanoma that is based on melanocyte-specific Pten loss and Braf(V600E) mutation, we demonstrate that β-catenin is a central mediator of melanoma metastasis to the lymph nodes and lungs. In addition to altering metastasis, β-catenin levels control tumor differentiation and regulate both MAPK/Erk and PI3K/Akt signaling. Highly metastatic tumors with β-catenin stabilization are very similar to a subset of human melanomas. Together these findings establish Wnt signaling as a metastasis regulator in melanoma., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Salmonella enterica servovar Typhimurium is capable of targeting, colonizing, and eliciting growth suppression of tumors in mice. We examined the effects of mutations on this anticancer phenotype in two Salmonella virulence gene clusters. Salmonella pathogenicity island (SPI)-1 genes promote systemic invasion from the intestine, whereas SPI-2 genes support systemic survival within macrophages and other cells. Disabling SPI-1 (prgH(-)) strongly reduced invasion in vitro, but had no effect on tumor growth suppression in vivo. However, disabling SPI-2 (ssaT(-)) ablated tumor growth suppression. In addition to ssaT(-), mutations in SPI-2 genes sseA, sseB, sseC, sscA, and ssrA also eliminated antitumor activity, whereas mutations in sseF or sseG yielded partial loss of function. Impaired tumor amplification was seen in three SPI-2 mutants tested after intravenous or intratumoral injection. A SPI-2(-) strain was unable to suppress tumor growth in CD18-deficient mice with defective macrophages and neutrophils, suggesting that loss of tumor growth suppression in wild-type mice by SPI-2 mutants was not solely a function of increased susceptibility to immune attack. Thus, SPI-2 is essential for the Salmonella antitumor effects, perhaps by aiding bacterial amplification within tumors, and is the first identified genetic system for this Salmonella phenotype.