Summary In the current issue, two articles highlight the impact of MITF on melanoma development. In the first, Lister et al. (2013) reveal in vivo proof of MITF directly regulating tumor development in BRAFV600E melanomas. In the second, Sturm et al. (2013) present a clinical trial that emphasizes the importance of the recently discovered E318K MITF germline mutation in patients with multiple primary melanomas