1. Disruption of Redox Homeostasis by Alterations in Nitric Oxide Synthase Activity and Tetrahydrobiopterin along with Melanoma Progression
- Author
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Jaqueline Pereira Moura Soares, Diego Assis Gonçalves, Ricardo Xisto de Sousa, Margareth Gori Mouro, Elisa M. S. Higa, Letícia Paulino Sperandio, Carolina Moraes Vitoriano, Elisa Bachir Santa Rosa, Fernanda Oliveira dos Santos, Gustavo Nery de Queiroz, Roberta Sessa Stilhano Yamaguchi, Gustavo Pereira, Marcelo Yudi Icimoto, and Fabiana Henriques Machado de Melo
- Subjects
Skin Neoplasms ,Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III ,melanoma ,tetrahydrobiopterin ,redox homeostasis ,nitric oxide synthase ,nitric oxide ,reactive oxygen species ,Organic Chemistry ,General Medicine ,Nitric Oxide ,Biopterin ,Catalysis ,Computer Science Applications ,Inorganic Chemistry ,Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases ,Homeostasis ,Humans ,Physical and Theoretical Chemistry ,Nitric Oxide Synthase ,Molecular Biology ,Melanoma ,Oxidation-Reduction ,Spectroscopy - Abstract
Cutaneous melanoma emerges from the malignant transformation of melanocytes and is the most aggressive type of skin cancer. The progression can occur in different stages: radial growth phase (RGP), vertical growth phase (VGP), and metastasis. Reactive oxygen species contribute to all phases of melanomagenesis through the modulation of oncogenic signaling pathways. Tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) is an important cofactor for NOS coupling, and an uncoupled enzyme is a source of superoxide anion (O2•−) rather than nitric oxide (NO), altering the redox homeostasis and contributing to melanoma progression. In the present work, we showed that the BH4 amount varies between different cell lines corresponding to distinct stages of melanoma progression; however, they all presented higher O2•− levels and lower NO levels compared to melanocytes. Our results showed increased NOS expression in melanoma cells, contributing to NOS uncoupling. BH4 supplementation of RGP cells, and the DAHP treatment of metastatic melanoma cells reduced cell growth. Finally, Western blot analysis indicated that both treatments act on the PI3K/AKT and MAPK pathways of these melanoma cells in different ways. Disruption of cellular redox homeostasis by the altered BH4 concentration can be explored as a therapeutic strategy according to the stage of melanoma.
- Published
- 2022