In a zebrafish model of melanoma driven by activated BRAF, this study finds expression of a gene signature indicative of disrupted terminal differentiation of neural crest progenitors. A chemical screen led to the identification of leflunomide as an inhibitor of neural crest stem cells. Leflunomide inhibits dihydroorotate dehydrogenase and thereby transcriptional elongation, including genes involved in neural crest development and melanoma growth. Leflunomide has anti-melanoma activity in the zebrafish model and human melanoma xenografts, and might prove useful as an anticancer drug.
- Richard Mark White
- Jennifer Cech
- Leonard I. Zon
