In two different NZM melanoma cell lines (NZM11 and NZM12), one of which has previously been characterized to be a “lower MITF” cell line (NZM11), and the other cell line previously characterized as a “higher MITF” cell line (NZM12) (10, 26), the knockdown of PAX3 expression resulted in decreased levels of POU3F2 transcripts in both cell lines (Figure 5). Here, MITF is linked to melanoma.