Pg. Natali et al., EXPRESSION OF THE C-MET HGF RECEPTOR IN HUMAN MELANOCYTIC NEOPLASMS -DEMONSTRATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP TO MALIGNANT-MELANOMA TUMOR PROGRESSION, British Journal of Cancer, 68(4), 1993, pp. 746-750
The c-MET proto-oncogene encodes the receptor for the Hepatocyte Growt
h Factor/Scatter Factor, which is known to mediate mitogenic, motogeni
c and invasive responses of several cell types. We have analysed by im
munohistochemistry and biochemically the expression of c-MET in benign
and malignant melanocytic lesions. The Met/HGF receptor which in the
melanocytic lineage displays the structural features of the authentic
receptor was undetectable in tissue melanocytes and in nevocytic nevi.
Only four out of 23 primary melanomas scored positive. Expression was
increased to a significant level in 17 out of the 44 metastatic lesio
ns examined. The c-MET expression was homogeneous in multiple metastas
es from the same patients. Comparative analyses showed both lack of co
rrelation with the expression of the tumour progression associated ICA
M-1 adhesion molecule and, in 23% of cases, co-expression with the c-K
IT encoded receptor. These findings show that the c-MET gene is expres
sed at late stages of melanoma progression and suggest that the presen
ce of Met/HGF receptor may contribute to the acquisition of an invasiv
e phenotype.