In mammals, >100 genes regulate pigmentation by means of a wide variety of developmental, cellular, and enzymatic mechanisms. Nevertheless, genes that directly regulate pheomelanin production have not been described. Here, we demonstrate that the subtle gray ( glutathione ͉ melanin ͉ pigmentation ͉ cystine ͉ melanocyte

Radiotherapy is one of the major treatment modalities for lung cancer. Cell killing by ionizing radiation is mediated primarily through the reactive oxygen species (ROS) and ROSdriven oxidative stress. Prx1, a peroxiredoxin family member, was shown to be frequently elevated in lung cancer cells and tissues. Although the antioxidant function of Prx1 is expected to affect the radiotherapy response of lung cancer, the physiologic significance of its peroxidase activity in irradiated cells is unclear because the catalytic Cys 52 is easily inactivated by ROS due to its overoxidation to sulfinic or sulfonic acid. In this study, we investigated the role of Prx1 in radiation sensitivity of human lung cancer cells, with special emphasis on the redox status of the catalytic Cys 52 . We found that overexpression of Prx1 enhances the clonogenic survival of irradiated cells and suppresses ionizing radiation-induced c-Jun NH 2 -terminal kinase (JNK) activation and apoptosis. The peroxidase activity of Prx1, however, is not essential for inhibiting JNK activation. The latter effect is mediated through its association with the glutathione S-transferase pi (GSTpi)-JNK complex, thereby preventing JNK release from the complex. Reduced JNK activation is observed when the peroxidase activity of Prx1 is compromised by Cys 52 overoxidation or in the presence of the Cys 52 to Ser 52 mutant (Prx1C52S) lacking peroxidase activity. We show that both Prx1 and Prx1C52S interact with the GSTpi-JNK complex and suppress the release of JNK from the complex. Our study provides new insight into the antiapoptotic function of Prx1 in modulating radiosensitivity and provides the impetus to monitor the influence of Prx1 levels in the management of lung cancer. (Cancer Res 2006; 66(14): 7136-42)

A monomethylated selenium metabolite, called methylseleninic acid (MSA), has recently been shown to cause global thiol redox modification of proteins. These changes represent a form of cellular stress due to protein misfolding or unfolding.

No abstract

Although hypoxia is accepted as an important microenvironmental factor influencing tumor progression and treatment response, it is usually regarded as a static global phenomenon. Consequently, less attention is given to the impact of dynamic changes in tumor oxygenation in regulating the behavior of cancer cells. Androgen receptor (AR) signaling plays a critical role in prostate cancer. We previously reported that hypoxia/ reoxygenation, an in vitro condition used to mimic an unstable oxygenation climate in a tumor, stimulates AR activation. In the present study, we showed that peroxiredoxin 1 (Prx1), a member of the peroxiredoxin protein family, acts as a key mediator in this process. We found that the aggressive LN3, C4-2, and C4-2B prostate cancer cell lines derived from LNCaP possess constitutively elevated Prx1 compared with parental cells, and display greater AR activation in response to hypoxia/ reoxygenation. Although the cell survival-enhancing property of Prx1 has traditionally been attributed to its antioxidant activity, the reactive oxygen species-scavenging activity of Prx1 was not essential for AR stimulation because Prx1 itself was oxidized and inactivated by hypoxia/reoxygenation. Increased AR transactivation was observed when wild-type Prx1 or mutant Prx1 (C52S) lacking antioxidant activity was introduced into LNCaP cells. Reciprocal immunoprecipitation, chromatin immunoprecipitation, and in vitro pull-down assays corroborated that Prx1 interacts with AR and enhances its transactivation. We also show that Prx1 is capable of sensitizing a ligand-stimulated AR. Based on the above information, we suggest that disrupting the interaction between Prx1 and AR may serve as a fruitful new target in the management of prostate cancer. [Cancer Res 2007;67(19):9294-303]