To validate the sequencing results, we focused on two genes linked to the malignant properties of melanoma cells, both of which underwent a significant increase in their mRNA levels in our dataset (Fig. 4b): Lumican (LUM), a gene related to growth and metastasis20–22; and THY-1, a cell surface antigen (Thy-1/CD90) that acts as an adhesion molecule for the extravasation of endothelial tissues and as a tumor suppressor23,24. Here, CD53 is linked to melanoma.