A study investigating whether microtubule-associated proteins 2 (MAP2) correlated with malignant melanoma (MM) tumor progression was conducted both in vitro and using an in vivo murine model. Adenosine-mediated MAP2 induced apoptotic cell death and cell cycle arrest in metastatic melanoma and murine melanoma cell lines. Melanoma growth was also substantially inhibited in nude BALB/c mice. Moreover, intracellular MAP2 expression was seen to alter, suppress migration and invasion, and affect the assembly, stability and bundling of microtubules in melanoma cells. These data may help to develop more specifically targeted therapies for MM in the future (Song, Z. et al. Exptl Dermatol 2010, 19: 958).