KIT and melanoma: Even though melanomas in this group do not have any of the three mutations described above, they can have other mutations like GNAQ (G signaling protein) and c-KIT (CD117, a tyrosine kinase receptor for stem cell growth factor) in a lower frequency (< 7%); these proteins are associated with intracellular signaling and can result in uncontrolled cell proliferation (12, 52).