Abstract: There are provided methods of inhibiting growth and metastasis of melanoma, methods of sensitizing melanoma cells to apoptosis, and methods of treating a subject having melanoma using acetyl isogambogic acid, celastrol, or a derivative thereof. There are further provided derivatives of celastrol and compositions comprising acetyl isogambogic acid, celastrol, or a derivative thereof.

Abstract: There is disclosed a quantitative sensitive method to enable the detection of point mutations at a known site to a diagnostic kit which uses a multi step (for example, four steps) or a single step reaction. The method uses selective polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of mutant test gene sequences involving first stage amplification of both mutant and wild-type sequences, first stage restriction enzyme digestion of only wild-type sequences, second stage amplification of undigested amplified fragments enriched in mutant sequences and second stage digestion of previously undigested wild-type sequences. Long and short tail primers are used in the first and second stages of amplification respectively to enable selective amplification (in the second stage) of only previously amplified material and none of the original test genomic DNA.