CITED1 is coupled to a contractile-rounded, amoeboid phenotype in a panel of 16 melanoma cell lines, in mouse melanoma xenografts, and in 47 human melanoma patients.
The MSG1 (melanocyte-specific gene 1), a gene originally isolated from melanocytes and containing a strong transcription activation domain, was also found expressed in all melanomas and most non-melanocyte tumor cell lines.
The pigmented murine melanocyte cell line melan-a expressed msg1, as did pigmented primary cultures of murine and human melanocytes; however, seven amelanotic or very weakly pigmented human melanoma cell lines were negative.