Novel carboxy-terminal Pannexin 1 isoform is expressed in mouse melanoma cells and interacts with the full-length protein

A novel ~25 kDa isoform of PANX1, expressed in mouse melanoma cells, interacts with full-length PANX1 and is prevalent in cancer progression.

• Why it matters: Understanding PANX1 isoforms is crucial because its upregulation promotes tumor growth, but the roles of internal translation variants in cancer are not well understood.
• What they did: Researchers identified and characterized a new PANX1 isoform using molecular techniques, mass spectrometry, and cell assays across multiple cancer cell lines, including melanoma.
• The result: The hPANX1-25K isoform is mainly intracellular, glycosylated, and interacts with β-catenin and full-length PANX1, suggesting it may influence tumor progression and serve as a potential cancer biomarker.