STAT3 and melanoma: Among the direct or indirect STAT3 targets, upregulated by SSMC; ALDH1A3 was recently associated with melanoma-initiating properties [22, 35], even though not all reports agree with this hypothesis [36]; tenascin (TNC), an extracellular matrix protein is an important component of stem cell niches [37] that favors evasion of tumor cells, including melanoma [38], from conventional therapy and might therefore participate in the acquisition of the MIC phenotype.