siRNA-mediated knockdown of MITF and PAX3 in metastatic melanoma cell lines

The transcription factors PAX3 and MITF are required for the development of the neural crest and melanocyte lineage, and both proteins play important roles in melanoma cell growth and survival. PAX3 transcriptionally activates MITF expression during neural crest development, but the relationship between these transcription factors during melanocyte development and in melanoma cells is currently poorly understood. This study aimed to further our understanding of the interaction between transcriptional networks controlled by PAX3 and MITF by assessing the effect of siRNA-mediated knockdown of PAX3 and MITF in metastatic melanoma cell lines. The goals of this study were to determine (i) if PAX3 is required for maintaining expression of MITF in melanoma and melanocyte cell lines; (ii) whether PAX3 and MITF independently, or redundantly, influence growth and survival in melanoma cell lines; and (iii) to investigate the respective roles of PAX3 and MITF expression in melanoma cell differentiation.

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