miRNA and mRNA expression profiling reveals potential biomarkers for metastatic cutaneous melanoma

<b>Purpose</b>: This study aims to uncover potential biomarkers associated with cutaneous melanoma (CM) metastasis. <b>Methods</b>: The mRNA and microRNA (miRNA) expression data from the metastatic CM and non-metastatic CM population were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Functional analysis, protein–protein interaction (PPI), and survival analysis were performed for differentially expressed mRNAs (DEmRNAs) and miRNAs (DEmiRNAs). The interaction between DEmRNAs and DEmiRNAs was analyzed. The expression of several key DEmRNAs and DEmiRNAs was validated by Gene Expression Omnibus datasets. <b>Results</b>: Overall, 1172 DEmRNAs and 26 DEmiRNAs were identified from metastatic and non-metastatic CM. Cytokine–cytokine receptor interaction and chemokine signaling pathway were key pathways. <i>CXCR1, CXCR2, CXCR4, CCR1, CCR2</i>, and <i>CCR5</i> were hub genes in the PPI network. Among these, miR-29 c-3p, miR-100-5p, miR-150-5p, and miR-150-3p were not only diagnostic biomarkers but also related to survival time. miR-203a-3p interacted with <i>CCR5</i> and <i>LIFR</i>, while miR-224-5p was strongly associated with <i>CXCR4. LIFR, CXCR1, CXCR2, CXCR4, CCR1, CCR2</i>, and <i>CCR5</i> were enriched in the cytokine–cytokine receptor interaction pathway. The levels of seven DEmRNAs (<i>CXCR1, CXCR2, CXCR4, CCR1, CCR2, CCR5</i>, and <i>LIFR</i>) and two DEmiRNAs (miR-203a-3p and miR-224-5p) were validated using the GSE65568 and GSE109244 datasets, respectively. <b>Conclusion</b>: Our findings may provide novel biomarkers for CM metastasis.