TY - JOUR
T1 - Primary melanoma of the CNS in children is driven by congenital expression of oncogenic NRAS in melanocytes
AU - Pedersen, Malin
AU - Küsters-Vandevelde, Heidi V.N.
AU - Viros, Amaya
AU - Groenen, Patricia J.T.A.
AU - Sanchez-Laorden, Berta
AU - Gilhuis, Jacobus H.
AU - van Engen-van Grunsven, Ilse A.
AU - Renier, Willy
AU - Schieving, Jolanda
AU - Niculescu-Duvaz, Ion
AU - Springer, Caroline J.
AU - Küsters, Benno
AU - Wesseling, Pieter
AU - Blokx, Willeke A.M.
AU - Marais, Richard
PY - 2013/4
Y1 - 2013/4
N2 - NRAS mutations are common in human melanoma. To produce a mouse model of NRAS-driven melanoma, we expressed oncogenic NRAS (NRASG12D) in mouse melanocytes. When NRASG12D was expressed in the melanocytes of developing embryos, it induced melanocyte proliferation and congenital melanocytic lesions reminiscent of human blue nevi but did not induce cutaneous melanoma. Unexpectedly, however, it did induce early-onset primary melanoma of the central nervous system (CNS). The tumors were rapidly proliferating and caused neurologic symptoms, rapid health deterioration, and death. NRAS is not a common driver oncogene of primary melanoma of the CNS in adults, but we report two cases of primary melanoma of the CNS in children, both of which carried oncogenic mutations in NRAS. We conclude that acquisition of somatic mutations in NRAS in CNS melanocytes is a predisposing risk factor for primary melanoma of the CNS in children, and we present a mouse model of this disease. Significance: We show that the acquisition of NRAS mutations in melanocytes during embryogenesis is a risk factor for early-onset melanoma of the CNS. We have developed a powerful mouse model to study this rare but devastating childhood disease, and to develop therapeutic approaches for its treatment.
AB - NRAS mutations are common in human melanoma. To produce a mouse model of NRAS-driven melanoma, we expressed oncogenic NRAS (NRASG12D) in mouse melanocytes. When NRASG12D was expressed in the melanocytes of developing embryos, it induced melanocyte proliferation and congenital melanocytic lesions reminiscent of human blue nevi but did not induce cutaneous melanoma. Unexpectedly, however, it did induce early-onset primary melanoma of the central nervous system (CNS). The tumors were rapidly proliferating and caused neurologic symptoms, rapid health deterioration, and death. NRAS is not a common driver oncogene of primary melanoma of the CNS in adults, but we report two cases of primary melanoma of the CNS in children, both of which carried oncogenic mutations in NRAS. We conclude that acquisition of somatic mutations in NRAS in CNS melanocytes is a predisposing risk factor for primary melanoma of the CNS in children, and we present a mouse model of this disease. Significance: We show that the acquisition of NRAS mutations in melanocytes during embryogenesis is a risk factor for early-onset melanoma of the CNS. We have developed a powerful mouse model to study this rare but devastating childhood disease, and to develop therapeutic approaches for its treatment.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84877680589&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-12-0464
DO - 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-12-0464
M3 - Article
C2 - 23303902
AN - SCOPUS:84877680589
SN - 2159-8274
VL - 3
SP - 458
EP - 469
JO - Cancer Discovery
JF - Cancer Discovery
IS - 4
ER -