Potential of CLSPN as a therapeutic target in melanoma: a key player in melanoma progression and tumor microenvironment.

BACKGROUND: Melanoma is a highly aggressive form of skin cancer. Despite significant advances in targeted therapies and immunotherapeutic approaches, some patients still have poor response rates, making a deeper understanding of melanoma pathogenesis essential. METHODS: The expression of Claspin (CLSPN), prognosis and immune infiltration in skin cutaneous melanoma patients were analyzed by public databases. Immunohistochemistry was used to validate. Moreover, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis, western blot, cell counting kit-8 assay, colony formation assay, flow cytometry, animal experiments, and RNA-seq were applied to explore its biological functions and potential molecular mechanisms of CLSPN in melanoma. RESULTS: Our results demonstrated that abnormal CLSPN expression was correlated with poor prognosis in melanoma. Meanwhile, CLSPN may promote melanoma growth and progression in vivo and in vitro through IFI44L/JAK/STAT1 signaling. Additionally, CLSPN was associated with negative immune microenvironment in melanoma and may be related to polarization of tumor associated macrophages towards M2-type. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that CLSPN may be a promising new target for melanoma and accelerate personalized therapeutic strategies.