DPM2 promotes melanoma progression and serves as a prognostic factor.

Abstract

Recently, dolichol phosphate mannose synthase (DPMS) has emerged as a promising new target for treatment in various cancers. Nonetheless, DPM2, a crucial element of the DPMS family, remains unexplored in melanoma research. This study aims to explore the predictive significance and biological role of DPM2, utilizing extensive databases and functional tests conducted in vitro. We conducted an in-depth examination of the DPM2 expression feature within The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Group differences were evaluated using Student's t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and long-rank test, while survival distributions were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Functional experiments were conducted in multiple melanoma cell lines to evaluate the effects of altered DPM2 expression. Our research indicated a direct correlation between the expression levels of DPM2 and the severity of melanoma. In addition, an elevated level of DPM2 expression was significantly linked to unfavorable prognoses. Suppression of DPM2 inhibits the proliferation, migration, and invasion of melanoma cells and induces their apoptosis. These findings suggest that DPM2 plays a pivotal role in melanoma progression and may serve as an independent prognostic biomarker for the disease.