Ectopic Tspan8 expression in non-invasive cells significantly increased tumor growth and weight (Figure 7A–7C) whereas knockdown of endogenous Tspan8 in invasive cells drastically inhibited tumor occurence and growth (Figure 7E–7G), further demonstrating the pro-oncogenic function of Tspan8 in melanoma. The gene discussed is TSPAN8; the disease is melanoma.