Decision Letter: Crosstalk with Keratinocytes Causes GNAQ Oncogene Specificity in Melanoma

The study investigated the role of GNAQ oncogene specificity in melanoma, focusing on the interaction with keratinocytes. The authors initially explored the potential involvement of PLCB4 mutations in melanoma but faced criticism for the robustness of their bioinformatic analysis. They ultimately removed this analysis from the manuscript, as it was not essential to their conclusions. The study highlighted that oncogenic GNAQ inhibits melanocyte growth and survival in the epidermis, with PLC-Β as a likely downstream effector. Despite some speculative elements, such as the Semaphorin mechanism, the research provided compelling functional data on GNAQ's impact. The authors addressed inconsistencies in their experimental data and improved the quality of their fluorescence images. Overall, the study demonstrated how the microenvironment influences the oncogenic effects of GNAQ mutations, although some claims were deemed speculative and unsupported by robust data.