FMR1 and neoplasm: In the present work, we investigated the role of FMRP in melanoma, a neoplasm that accounts for ~75% of all deaths due to skin cancer.24, 25 A critical step in melanoma progression seems to be the transition from radial to vertical growth phase.26 This switch is associated with molecular and genetic changes that facilitate metastatization.27, 28 However, the molecular mechanisms that mediate differential expression of genes during melanoma progression remain largely unknown.