The aim of the study was to analyze the expression of YWHAZ in cutaneous melanoma, and to evaluate its association with survival of melanoma patients and biological function.

The GEO database was used to explore the difference in YWHAZ expression between cutaneous melanoma and benign melanocytic nevi. TCGA database was used to analyze the correlation between YWHAZ expression and melanoma prognosis. The biological function of YWHAZ was investigated in vitro through gene knockdown using siRNA against YWHAZ. Cell proliferation was detected by CCK8 assay, cell apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry, and cell migration and invasion abilities were evaluated by Transwell assay.

According to the GEO dataset GSE3189, we found that YWHAZ was highly expressed in cutaneous melanoma tissues (5.785±0.128) compared to benign melanocytic nevi [(4.704±0.281), t=4.023, P=0.0002]. The TCGA cutaneous melanoma data showed that high YWHAZ expression was associated with a shorter overall survival. Loss-of-function studies demonstrated that YWHAZ knockdown could inhibit melanoma cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, and promote cell apoptosis.

YWHAZ is overexpressed in cutaneous melanoma and associates with a shorter overall survival. Increased expression of YWHAZ can promote the malignant biological behavior of melanoma cells.