NRAS is a small GTPase belonging to RAS family, involved in the mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, regulating cell growth, proliferation and differentiation in response to growth factors, cytokines and hormones. The role of RAS GTPase proteins is transmitting the signal from receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), at the cell surface, to transcription factors and cell cycle proteins in the nucleus. Activated RAS proteins stimulate not only the MAPK signaling pathway, but also the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT pathway, which contributes to melanoma development through effects on the metabolism and other factors.
Approximately 80% of NRAS mutations in melanoma occur at codon 61 (exon 3), involving amino acid changes from glutamine (Q) to arginine (R), lysine (K) or leucine (L), and locking the NRAS protein into a GTP-bound state, thereby impairing its GTPase activity. The remaining 20% of melanoma NRAS mutations fall in codons 12 and 13 (exon 2), leading to an amino acid substitution from glycine (G), to aspartic acid (D), which inhibits binding of GTPase activating protein to NRAS. According to Murphy et al., NRAS codon 61 mutations (p.Q61R, p.Q61K, and p.Q61L) empower the activation of MAPK signaling pathway more than the NRAS mutations at codons 12 and 13.