Taking advantage of the treatment with the peptide HXR9, an antagonist of HOX/PBX dimerization, we recognize miR-221&222 as effectors of its action, in turn confirming the HXR9 efficacy in the treatment of human melanoma malignancy, whilst sparing normal human melanocytes.
KIT, an established oncogene with a multifaceted role in melanogenesis and melanoma pathogenesis, has recently been shown to be upregulated in some melanomas, and is also a target of the miRNA miR-221.
In vitro and in vivo functional studies, including the use of antisense "antagomir" oligonucleotides, confirmed the key role of miR-221/-222 in regulating the progression of human melanoma; this suggests that targeted therapies suppressing miR-221/-222 may prove beneficial in advanced melanoma.