Counteracting oxidative phosphorylation-mediated resistance of melanomas to MAPK pathway inhibition

Mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos) induces resistance to MAPK pathway inhibitors in melanoma. However, therapeutic targeting of mitochondria is challenging. In a recent study, we showed that inhibition of mTOR kinase activity resensitized resistant melanomas by indirectly inhibiting OxPhos via a novel mechanism. Here, we discuss the implications of these findings.