Attenuation of trametinib-induced apoptosis in both Dox-treated CD133-expressing BAKP-CD3133 as well as POT-CD133 cells compared to cells without Dox, and the reproducible effects of CD133 expression on BCL-2 family members and AKT activation in different melanoma cell lines, indicate that these responses are not cell line-specific and support a role for CD133 in apoptosis suppression and increased cell survival after trametinib in different melanoma lines. This evidence concerns the gene AKT1 and melanoma.