SOX10 is a nuclear transcription factor that acts as a shuttle protein between the cytoplasm and the nucleus. It is important for the development of the neural crest and the peripheral nervous system as well as for the differentiation, maturation and maintenance of Schwann cells and melanocytes.
SOX10 is expressed in Schwann and glial cells of the nervous system and in melanocytes and epithelial cells of the salivary and mammary glands. In tumor tissue, SOX10 has been shown to be a sensitive marker for melanomas and tumors with neural crest origin.

[1] Miettinen M, McCue PA, Sarlomo-Rikala M et al. (2015): Sox10--a marker for not only schwannian and melanocytic neoplasms but also myoepithelial cell tumors of soft tissue: a systematic analysis of 5134 tumors. Am J Surg Pathol. 39(6):826-35.
[2] Clevenger J, Joseph C, Dawlett M et al. (2014): Reliability of immunostaining using pan-melanoma cocktail, SOX10, and microphthalmia transcription factor in confirming a diagnosis of melanoma on fine-needle aspiration smears. Cancer Cytopathol. 122(10):779-85.
[3] Graf SA, Busch C, Bosserhoff AK et al. (2014): SOX10 promotes melanoma cell invasion by regulating melanoma inhibitory activity. J Invest Dermatol. 134(8):2212-2220.
[4] Cimino-Mathews A, Subhawong AP, Elwood H et al. (2013): Neural crest transcription factor Sox10 is preferentially expressed in triple-negative and metaplastic breast carcinomas. Hum Pathol. 44(6):959-65.
[5] Kuhlbrodt K1, Herbarth B, Sock E et al. (1998): Sox10, a novel transcriptional modulator in glial cells. J Neurosci. 18(1):237-57