Effects of oncogenic GNAQ on epidermal melanocytes

The goal of this study was to understand how the GNAQ oncogene can either promote or inhibit the formation of melanoma. In the eye, activation of GNAQ through the Q209L mutation drives uveal melanoma. In the skin epidermis, the same mutation causes melanocyte cell death. This project examined the differences in gene expression between epidermal melanocytes expressing mutant GNAQ and wildtype melanocytes expressing normal GNAQ to better understand how the effects of GNAQ could vary so dramatically. The melanocytes that we used were isolated from the interfollicular epidermis of mouse tail skin at 4 weeks of age using FACS. There were two genotypes: 1) 'GNAQ' = R26-fs-GNAQ Q209L/R26-fs-tdTomato; Mitf-cre/+ and 2) 'WT' = +/R26-fs-tdTomato; Mitf-cre/+.