FOXD1 Is a Transcription Factor Important for Uveal Melanocyte Development and Associated with High-Risk Uveal Melanoma

Quincy C C van den Bosch, Josephine Q N Nguyen, Tom Brands, Thierry P P van den Bosch, Robert M Verdijk, Dion Paridaens, Nicole C Naus, Annelies de Klein, Emine Kiliç, Erwin Brosens, Rotterdam Ocular Melanoma Study Group

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

Abstract

Uveal melanoma (UM) is a deadly ocular malignancy, originating from uveal melanocytes. Although much is known regarding prognostication in UM, the exact mechanism of metastasis is mostly unknown. Metastatic tumor cells are known to express a more stem-like RNA profile which is seen often in cell-specific embryonic development to induce tumor progression. Here, we identified novel transcription regulators by reanalyzing publicly available single cell RNA sequencing experiments. We identified five transcription regulators of interest: ELL2, KDM5B, REXO4, RBFOX2 and FOXD1. Our most significant finding is FOXD1, as this gene is nearly exclusively expressed in high-risk UM and its expression is associated with a poor prognosis. Even within the BAP1-mutated UM, the expression of FOXD1 is correlated with poor survival. FOXD1 is a novel factor which could potentially be involved in the metastatic capacity of high-risk UM. Elucidating the function of FOXD1 in UM could provide insight into the malignant transformation of uveal melanocytes, especially in high-risk UM.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3668
JournalCancers
Volume14
Issue number15
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 28 Jul 2022

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