Role of ELP6 in tumour progression and impact on ERK1/2 signalling pathway inhibitors in skin cutaneous melanoma

Elongator acetyltransferase complex subunit 6 (ELP6), a subunit of the elongator complex, can increase the migratory potential of melanoma cells <i>in vitro</i>. However, the clinical relevance of <i>ELP6</i> in patients with melanoma remains unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the role of <i>ELP6</i> expression in melanoma progression and association with patient survival rates. Transcriptomic data from patients with melanoma available in The Cancer Genome Atlas, Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis and cBioPortal databases were analysed to evaluate the associations between <i>ELP6</i> expression levels and patient survival. <i>In vitro</i> experiments were conducted using short hairpin RNAs to downregulate <i>ELP6</i>, with a focus on cell viability, cell cycle regulation and the ERK1/2 signalling pathway. <i>ELP6</i> expression levels were significantly elevated in patients with melanoma and were associated with poor survival outcomes. Knockdown of <i>ELP6</i> resulted in decreased expression levels of p42 MAPK, reduced cell viability, G₁ phase cell cycle arrest and led to reduced responsiveness to the MEK1/2 inhibitor U0126. <i>ELP6</i> promotes melanoma progression via the ERK1/2 signalling pathway. Therefore, assessing <i>ELP6</i> expression may offer potential therapeutic strategies for patients with melanoma.