To test their hypothesis, the researchers carried out experiments on human melanoma cells, a line of cancer cells they chose for their ability to grow easily and quickly. (sciencedaily.com)
After exploiting a technology that allowed them to activate each of nearly 16,000 genes individually in human melanoma cell lines containing mutant BRAF, the authors then treated the panel of cells with the drugs and monitored which cells showed altered drug sensitivity. (science.sciencemag.org)
The analysis also found that a significant fraction of tumors contained rearrangements and mutations of a gene called PREX2, and experiments confirmed that cancer - associated mutations of PREX2 promoted the growth of human melanoma cells in mice. (elifesciences.org)