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Effects Of Retinoic Acid On Beta-Catenin Transcriptional Activity In Melanoma Cells, Fung Chan

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Melanoma is the most dangerous form of skin cancer and its incidence has been increasing in the United States. Most melanomas are resistant to current chemotherapies; therefore, understanding the mechanism of melanomagenesis is beneficial to treatment of the diseases. Accumulation of β-catenin has been shown in colon and other cancers, including melanomas, but the transcriptional role of β-catenin in melanomas is still unclear. All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) is an anti-tumor agent that has an inhibitory effect on β-catenin, but this effect has not been studied in melanomas. It has been shown that Microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), a melanocyte specific protein, …