Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40459254›Full record

ArticleJournal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology : JEADV2025

Immune checkpoint molecules and spatial transcriptome profiles according to BRAF status in acral melanoma.

Hee Joo Yang, Myoung Eun Choi, Do Hyung Kim, Chong Hyun Won, Sung Eun Chang, Mi Woo Lee, Woo Jin Lee

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Article in Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology : JEADV, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. MAPK activity as a surrogate of acral melanoma immunogenicity?Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology : JEADV · 2025
    Article
  2. Immune checkpoint molecules and spatial transcriptome profiles according to BRAF status in acral melanoma.Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology : JEADV · 2025
    Article
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Hee Joo YangDermatology, Dongguk University Ilsan Hospital, Dongguk University College of Medicine, Dongguk University, Goyang, Korea.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5877-7750
Myoung Eun ChoiDepartment of Dermatology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7514-7873
Do Hyung KimDepartment of Dermatology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0007-0015-5132
Chong Hyun WonDepartment of Dermatology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Sung Eun ChangDepartment of Dermatology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Mi Woo LeeDepartment of Dermatology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Woo Jin LeeDepartment of Dermatology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Funding

Asan Institute for Life Sciences, Asan Medical Center 2023IF0001-1National Research Foundation of Korea 2023R1A2C1007303
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAcral melanoma (AM) shows different genomic profiles based on BRAF status, and the data on the association with BRAF and immune checkpoint molecules are lacking.

objectivesThis study aimed to identify the significance of BRAF mutation in AMs, exploring expression patterns of immune checkpoint molecules and transcriptome profiles related to tumour immunity according to BRAF status.

methodsImmunohistochemical (IHC) staining of BRAF, Programmed death-1 (PD-1), Lymphocyte-activation gene-3 (LAG-3) and T-Cell Immunoglobulin and mucin domain-3 (TIM-3) was performed on AM tissues. Through spatial transcriptome analysis, the correlation between BRAF expression and immune checkpoint molecule expression was examined. Analysis on differentially expressed genes along with pathway analysis and immune cell deconvolution was performed comparing BRAF-high and BRAF-low groups at the mRNA level.

resultsIn IHC and spatial transcriptome analysis, BRAF positivity was associated with high expression of PD-1, LAG-3 and TIM-3. Among a total of 144 patients, positive IHC results for BRAF (p < 0.01), PD-1 (p < 0.01), LAG-3 (p < 0.01) and TIM-3 (p < 0.01) were significantly associated with histopathologic traits including pathological subtypes, cytomorphology, pagetoid spread and nest formation. In spatial transcriptome analysis, the expression level of LAG-3 showed a significant association with the expression level of BRAF (p < 0.01). Pathways related to anti-tumour immunity were significantly downregulated in the BRAF-high group. In immune cell deconvolution, endothelial cells (p = 0.001), mast cells (p = 0.014) and neutrophils (p = 0.004) were significantly higher in the BRAF-high group.

conclusionsBRAF mutation in AM is associated with increased expression of immune checkpoint molecules, supporting the use of immunotherapy for BRAF-mutant AM in clinical practice. Different tumour microenvironments regarding tumour immunity in BRAF-mutant AM may explain the poor prognosis.

Indexed as

Immune Checkpoint ProteinsMelanomaProto-Oncogene Proteins B-rafSkin NeoplasmsTranscriptomeAdultAgedAged, 80 and overAntigens, CDFemaleGene Expression ProfilingHepatitis A Virus Cellular Receptor 2HumansLymphocyte Activation Gene 3 ProteinMaleMiddle AgedAntigens, CDBRAF protein, humanHAVCR2 protein, humanHepatitis A Virus Cellular Receptor 2Immune Checkpoint ProteinsLag3 protein, humanLymphocyte Activation Gene 3 ProteinPDCD1 protein, humanProgrammed Cell Death 1 ReceptorProto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf

Identifiers

PMID40459254
PMCPMC12466088

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.