Profiling melanoma cell line M14 treated with vemurafenib

The BRAFV600E mutant melanoma cell line M14 responds to the BRAF inhibitor vemurafenib, however, the differences in response between individual cells are underlying resistance. To highlight the underlying mechanisms, we performed treatment of M14 cells with vemurafenib, followed by Drop-seq. We were able to clearly distinguish cells that were treated with the drug from untreated cells, and we discovered different cell populations within the treated cells, likely reflecting heterogeneity of drug resistant cells. We were able to identify specific biomarkers, as preferentially expressed genes, for each cell population. The results of our study will address preexisting and acquired drug resistance that limits clinical usefulness of targeted strategies. Overall design: Examining drug resistant cell populations using single cell RNA-seq