Approximately 50% of cutaneous melanomas harbor an activating mutation in the BRAF protein (valine at codon 600 is substituted by glutamic acid, V600E), leading to constitutive activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway involved in cell growth; other V600 mutations in BRAF were shown to correlate with melanoma development. This evidence concerns the gene BRAF and melanoma.