Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42068380›Full record

ArticleNaunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology2026

In silico analysis of gene expression signatures and drug repurposing associated with metastatic progression in melanoma (skin cancer).

Khulood Ayad Majeed, Raghad Ayad Majeed, Taisir Khalil Ibrahim, Najeeb Ullah Khan

Abstract read
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

4 authors.

Khulood Ayad MajeedDepartment of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Dentistry, University of Kirkuk, Kirkuk, 36001, Iraq.
Raghad Ayad MajeedDepartment of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Dentistry, University of Kirkuk, Kirkuk, 36001, Iraq.
Taisir Khalil IbrahimDepartment of Biology, College of Science, University of Tikrit, Tikrit, 34001, Iraq.
Najeeb Ullah KhanInstitute of Biotechnology & Genetic Engineering (Health Division), The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, 25130, Pakistan. najeebkhan@aup.edu.pk.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Metastatic melanoma is an aggressive, heterogeneous cancer with early spread and poor prognosis. Transcriptomic analysis identifies potential therapeutic targets. In silico analysis of the GEO dataset GSE7553 compared primary vs metastatic melanoma using differential expression, enrichment (GO/KEGG/Reactome), PPI network construction, and hub-gene prioritization. Candidates were validated through survival analysis, mutation-associated analyses, and virtual screening using molecular docking with FDA-approved compounds. Transcriptomic results show divergence between primary and metastatic melanoma samples, with principal component analysis supporting clear group separation. In a total of 54,675 probe-level entries, 4868 were classified as upregulated and 10,269 as downregulated, indicating a predominance of downregulated transcriptional events in metastatic melanoma. Prioritized upregulated genes included CUL5, ZC3H14, SON, BRCC3, and H3-3B, whereas notable downregulated genes included ZNF709, CD84, STARD8, EPOR, and HAVCR2. The high-confidence PPI network comprised 625 nodes and 2661 edges, with a significant enrichment score. Enrichment analysis implicated immune/adhesion and translation pathways (e.g., Rap1, focal adhesion, T-cell activation). Survival: CUL5 (HR = 0.26) and ZC3H14 (HR = 0.60) are protective, while SON (HR = 2.4) is adverse. Mutation-linked transcriptomic analysis identified 10 significantly altered genes, including downregulated SNHG18 and upregulated LPCAT2. Virtual screening results show repurposable compounds, with Floxacrine showing strong predicted affinity for CUL5 and Dihydroergocristine showing favorable interaction with LPCAT2/ZC3H14-related targets. In silico docking results further supported CUL5-Floxacrine and LPCAT2-Dihydroergocristine as notable candidate interactions. Results show key transcriptomic drivers and targets (CUL5, ZC3H14, SON, BRCC3, LPCAT2) in metastatic melanoma. Results highlight a useful hypothesis-generating framework for biomarker prioritization and drug repurposing in melanoma. However, independent cohort validation and experimental confirmation are required before clinical translation.

Indexed as

Antineoplastic AgentsDrug RepositioningMelanomaSkin NeoplasmsTranscriptomeComputer SimulationDisease ProgressionGene Expression ProfilingGene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticHumansMolecular Docking SimulationProtein Interaction MapsAntineoplastic AgentsDrug repurposing/molecular dockingGene expression signaturesMetastatic melanomaProtein–protein interaction (PPI) networkSurvival analysis

Identifiers

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.