Mitfa-Independent Melanocyte Progenitors are Highly Susceptible to GNAQ-induced Uveal Melanoma in Adult Zebrafish.

ABSTRACT: Melanocytes reside in diverse microenvironments that influence their susceptibility to oncogenic transformation, however, studying rare melanoma subsets has been hindered by the lack of suitable animal models. We developed a primary, immune-competent zebrafish model to study uveal melanoma (UM), utilizing choroidal-targeted injection and electroporation of plasmids containing human GNAQ ^Q209L and CRISPR/Cas9 cassettes for tumor suppressor gene deletion. Single-cell transcriptional profiling of genetically identical eye- and skin-derived tumors revealed distinct oncogenic pathways, highlighting the importance of studying melanoma subtypes in their correct anatomical context. Additionally, we identified a population of tfec - and pax3a -expressing melanocyte p

SUBMITTER: Yevdash JI 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12431003 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature