Guanine nucleotide exchange factor H1 (GEF-H1), which couples microtubule dynamics to RhoA activation, is a microtubule-regulated exchange factor. Studies have shown that GEF-H1 can be involved in various
cancer pathways; however, the clinical significance of GEF-H1 expression and functions in
melanoma has not been established. In this study, we investigated the relationship between clinical outcomes and GEF-H1 functions in
melanoma. A total of 60 cases of different grades of
melanoma samples were used to detect the expression of GEF-H1. Results showed that both
messenger RNA and
protein levels of GEF-H1 were significantly higher in high-grade
melanomas. Furthermore, patients with high GEF-H1 expression had a shorter overall survival (22 months) than patients with low level of GEF-H1 expression (33.38 months). We also found that GEF-H1 can promote the proliferation and
metastasis of
melanoma cells. In summary, these results suggested that GEF-H1 may be a valuable
biomarker for assessing the degree and prognosis of
melanoma following surgery.