In melanoma cells (particularly NRAS mutant cells), αMSH receptor signals are often disconnected from cAMP signalling (Marquette et al., 2011), but direct activation of adenyl cyclase through agents such as forskolin or cholera toxin can initiate cAMP‐induced MITF transcription in the majority of melanoma cell lines, suggesting that in principle, the signalling module is preserved throughout melanoma progression. This evidence concerns the gene MITF and melanoma.