title: Guanine nucleotide exchange factor H1 can be a new biomarker of melanoma.
abstract: Guanine nucleotide exchange factor H1 (GEF-H1), which couples microtubule dynamics to RhoA activation, is a microtubule-regulated exchange factor. Studies have shown that GEF-H1 can be involved in various cancer pathways; however, the clinical significance of GEF-H1 expression and functions in melanoma has not been established. In this study, we investigated the relationship between clinical outcomes and GEF-H1 functions in melanoma. A total of 60 cases of different grades of melanoma samples were used to detect the expression of GEF-H1. Results showed that both messenger RNA and protein levels of GEF-H1 were significantly higher in high-grade melanomas. Furthermore, patients with high GEF-H1 expression had a shorter overall survival (22 months) than patients with low level of GEF-H1 expression (33.38 months). We also found that GEF-H1 can promote the proliferation and metastasis of melanoma cells. In summary, these results suggested that GEF-H1 may be a valuable biomarker for assessing the degree and prognosis of melanoma following surgery.
authors.affiliation: Reconstructive and Plastic Surgery, The General Hospital of Shenyang Military Region, Shenyang, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Reconstructive and Plastic Surgery, The General Hospital of Shenyang Military Region, Shenyang, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Bingyu
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Reconstructive and Plastic Surgery, The General Hospital of Shenyang Military Region, Shenyang, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Reconstructive and Plastic Surgery, The General Hospital of Shenyang Military Region, Shenyang, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Hui
authors.affiliation: Reconstructive and Plastic Surgery, The General Hospital of Shenyang Military Region, Shenyang, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Reconstructive and Plastic Surgery, The General Hospital of Shenyang Military Region, Shenyang, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tao
keywords: GEF-H1; biomarker; melanoma; metastasis; proliferation