Nuclear Nrf2 Activity in Laryngeal Carcinoma is Regulated by SENP3 After Cisplatin-Induced Reactive Oxygen Species Stress

Ferroptosis: a potential target for non-surgical treatment of laryngeal cancer

BACKGROUND

Laryngeal cancer (LC) is among the most prevalent tumors of the respiratory tract. In recent years, the implementation of non-surgical treatments like radiotherapy and chemotherapy has significantly enhanced the therapeutic outcomes for LC. Nevertheless, the underlying therapeutic mechanisms remain unclear, posing a hindrance to the progression of subsequent treatment strategies.

OBJECTIVES

To explore the potential mechanisms from existing effective treatments for LC and identify relevant targets, thereby providing guidance for subsequent therapeutic research on LC.

METHODS

This study focuses on ferroptosis, a common type of non-apoptotic cell death that is closely linked to various malignancies. It examines the relationship between ferroptosis and LC by analyzing how regulating ferroptosis-related targets in LC cells can influence the development of the cancer.

RESULTS

There is a strong association between ferroptosis and LC. Regulating the targets related to ferroptosis in LC cells can effectively counteract the progression of LC.

CONCLUSIONS

Taking ferroptosis as an entry point, analyzing its potential mechanism in inhibiting LC can provide a direction for the treatment of laryngeal cancer, which may contribute to the improvement of therapeutic strategies for this disease.

Oxidative Stress Biomarkers in Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Their Clinical Implications: Preliminary Results

Background/Objectives: Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma represents one of the most common head and neck cancers with a five-year survival rate that, despite diagnostic and therapeutic advances, has not shown any significant improvement in recent decades. Oxidative stress, generated by an imbalance between reactive oxygen species and cellular antioxidant systems, is considered a central mechanism in the carcinogenesis of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma, causing DNA damage and genomic alterations. Methods: This prospective observational paired case-control study focused on the evaluation of antioxidant proteins, such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, heme-oxygenase 1, vimentin, metallothionein, and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2, in cancer tissues from fifteen patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma, using adjacent healthy tissues as controls. Results: The results show a statistically significant overexpression of all proteins analyzed in cancer tissues compared to controls, with relevant correlations between specific biomarkers and clinical characteristics, age, sex, smoking habits, and degree of tumor differentiation. Conclusions: These preliminary studies, while limited by sample size and the complexity of molecular regulation, indicate that the overexpression of antioxidant enzymes in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma tissues, along with their correlations with key clinical parameters, underscores a context-dependent role of oxidative stress in tumor progression. A deeper understanding of oxidative stress mechanisms could contribute to advance personalized management strategies for laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma, potentially improving treatment outcomes and patient prognosis.

Regulation of the immune microenvironment by SUMO in diabetes mellitus

Post-translational modifications such as SUMOylation are crucial for the functionality and signal transduction of a diverse array of proteins. Analogous to ubiquitination, SUMOylation has garnered significant attention from researchers and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of various human diseases in recent years, such as cancer, neurological lesions, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, and so on. The pathogenesis of diabetes, particularly type 1 and type 2 diabetes, has been closely associated with immune dysfunction, which constitutes the primary focus of this review. This review will elucidate the process of SUMOylation and its impact on diabetes mellitus development and associated complications, focusing on its regulatory effects on the immune microenvironment. This article summarizes various signaling pathways at both cellular and molecular levels that are implicated in these processes. Furthermore, it proposes potential new targets for drug development aimed at the prevention and treatment of diabetes mellitus based on insights gained from the SUMOylation process.

SENP6-Mediated deSUMOylation of Nrf2 Exacerbates Neuronal Oxidative Stress Following Cerebral Ischemia and Reperfusion Injury

Oxidative stress is believed to play critical pathophysiological roles in ischemic brain injury, and the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling pathway is recognized as the most crucial endogenous antioxidant stress damage route. Some research have demonstrated that Nrf2 play critical roles in oxidative stress after ischemic stroke, but the underlying mechanism are not fully elucidated. This study reveals that Nrf2 is modified by SUMOylation and identifies Sentrin/SUMO-specific protease 6 (SENP6) as a negative regulator of Nrf2 SUMOylation. Notably, SENP6 binds to and mediates the deSUMOylation of Nrf2, which in turn inhibits antioxidant response by enhancing ubiquitination-dependent degradation of Nrf2, thereby reducing its transcriptional activity, inducing oxidative stress and aggravating neuronal apoptosis after ischemic stroke. Additionally, blocking the interaction between SENP6 and Nrf2 with a cell membrane-permeable peptide (Tat-Nrf2) preserves the SUMOylation of Nrf2, effectively attenuates oxidative stress, and rescues neurological functions in mice subjected to ischemic stroke. Furthermore, no toxicity is observed when high doses Tat-Nrf2 are injected into nonischemic mice. Collectively, this study uncovers a previously unidentified mechanism whereby SUMOylation of Nrf2 regulates oxidative stress and strongly indicates that interventions targeting SENP6 or its interaction with Nrf2 may provide therapeutic benefits for ischemic stroke.

Hypoxia-induced SENP3 promotes chemosensitivity and mitochondrial fission via deSUMOylation of Drp1

OBJECTIVE

The study aimed to investigate the effect of the SUMOylation status of Drp1 on mitochondrial fission in CDDP-treated HNSCC cells cultured under hypoxic conditions.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The effect of hypoxia on the chemosensitivity of HNCC cells was evaluated by flow cytometry and CCK-8 assays. The biological function of SUMO-specific peptidase 3 (SENP3) was evaluated by loss-of-function assays both in vitro and in vivo. SENP3-regulated deSUMOylation of Drp1 were performed with co-IP assays.

RESULTS

SENP3 expression correlated with chemosensitivity in clinical HNSCC samples subjected to hypoxic conditions. Hypoxia-induced ROS increased HIF-1α/SENP3 expression and mitochondrial fission in CDDP-treated HNSCC cells, and these effects were reversed by NAC treatment. SENP3 knockdown reversed hypoxia-induced mitochondrial fission and inhibited HNSCC cell apoptosis, which decreased CDDP sensitivity. Furthermore, hypoxia-induced SENP3 deconjugated SUMO2 from Drp1.

CONCLUSION

Our findings revealed that hypoxia-induced SENP3 facilitates CDDP sensitivity and mitochondrial fission via deSUMOylation of Drp1.

SENP3 mediates the activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway to accelerate the growth and metastasis of oesophagal squamous cell carcinoma in mice

As a common malignant tumor, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is occasionally seen in clinical practice. This type of disease has low incidence rate and mortality. The post-translational modification of small ubiquitin like modifiers (SUMO) can play a crucial role in regulating protein function, and can significantly impact the occurrence and development of diseases. SUMO-specific peptidase (SENP) affects cell activity by regulating the biological function of SUMO. SENP3 belongs to the SENP family, and available data indicate that many malignancies are associated with SENPs, it is currently unclear its role in ESCC. This study indicates that there is a high level of SENP3 expression in ESCC tumor cells. If the expression level of this gene is high, it can have a significant impact on ESCC cell lines and affect physiological activities such as invasion of KYSE170 cells. If the gene is knocked out, this situation will not occur. There is also research data indicating that this gene can effectively activate related signaling pathways, thereby promoting the physiological activities of malignant tumor cells. In a nude mouse xenograft tumor model, KYSE170 cells with SENP3 expression knockdown induced a smaller volume and weight of tumor tissue. Therefore, it can be clearly stated that SENP3 can enable Wnt/ β- The catenin signaling pathway is stimulated, which in turn affects the physiological activities of ESCC cells, including the invasion process. The results of this article lay the foundation for clinical staff to carry out clinical management.

Biomarkers in Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: The Literature Review

Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) is the second most common cancer among head and neck cancers. Despite a lower incidence of laryngeal carcinoma, new diagnostic techniques, and more targeted therapies, the overall survival has not changed significantly in the last decades, leading to a negative prognosis in advanced stages. Recently, several studies have focused on the identification of biomarkers that may play a critical role in the pathogenesis of LSCC. Reviewing the literature on the main databases, this study aims to investigate the role of some biomarkers in LSCC that are correlated with oxidative stress and inflammation: heat shock proteins; metallothioneins; nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2; heme oxygenase; cyclooxygenase-2; and micro ribonucleic acids. This review shows that biomarker expression depends on the type, grade of differentiation, stage, and site of carcinoma. In addition, the role of these biomarkers in LSCC is still little-known and little-studied. However, the study of biomarker expression and the detection of a possible correlation with patients' epidemiological, clinicopathological, and therapeutics data may lead to better awareness and knowledge of the tumor, to the identification of the best therapeutic strategy, and the most proper follow-up protocol tailored for each patient. In conclusion, the achievement of these goals may improve the prognosis of LSCC patients.

Cancer-Associated Dysregulation of Sumo Regulators: Proteases and Ligases

SUMOylation is a post-translational modification that has emerged in recent decades as a mechanism involved in controlling diverse physiological processes and that is essential in vertebrates. The SUMO pathway is regulated by several enzymes, proteases and ligases being the main actors involved in the control of sumoylation of specific targets. Dysregulation of the expression, localization and function of these enzymes produces physiological changes that can lead to the appearance of different types of cancer, depending on the enzymes and target proteins involved. Among the most studied proteases and ligases, those of the SENP and PIAS families stand out, respectively. While the proteases involved in this pathway have specific SUMO activity, the ligases may have additional functions unrelated to sumoylation, which makes it more difficult to study their SUMO-associated role in cancer process. In this review we update the knowledge and advances in relation to the impact of dysregulation of SUMO proteases and ligases in cancer initiation and progression.

Nrf2 signaling pathway in cisplatin chemotherapy: Potential involvement in organ protection and chemoresistance

Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a vital transcription factor and its induction is of significant importance for protecting against oxidative damage. Increased levels of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) stimulate Nrf2 signaling, enhancing the activity of antioxidant enzymes such as catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase. These enzymes are associated with retarding oxidative stress. On the other hand, Nrf2 activation in cancer cells is responsible for the development of chemoresistance due to disrupting oxidative mediated-cell death by reducing ROS levels. Cisplatin (CP), cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II), is a potent anti-tumor agent extensively used in cancer therapy, but its frequent application leads to the development of chemoresistance as well. In the present study, association of Nrf2 signaling with chemoresistance to CP and protection against its deleterious effects is discussed. Anti-tumor compounds, mainly phytochemicals, retard chemoresistance by suppressing Nrf2 signaling. Upstream mediators such as microRNAs can regulate Nrf2 expression during CP chemotherapy regimens. Protection against side effects of CP is mediated via activating Nrf2 signaling and its downstream targets activating antioxidant defense system. Protective agents that activate Nrf2 signaling, can ameliorate CP-mediated ototoxicity, nephrotoxicity and neurotoxicity. Reducing ROS levels and preventing cell death are the most important factors involved in alleviating CP toxicity upon Nrf2 activation. As pre-clinical experiments advocate the role of Nrf2 in chemoprotection and CP resistance, translating these findings to the clinic can provide a significant progress in treatment of cancer patients.

Mild Oxidative Stress Reduces NRF2 SUMOylation to Promote Kras/Lkb1/Keap1 Mutant Lung Adenocarcinoma Cell Migration and Invasion

Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) is a crucial transcription factor for cell adaptation and defense against oxidative stress. NRF2 activation confers Kras/Lkb1/Keap1 (KLK) mutant tumor cells with greater resistance to oxidative insults. We previously reported that SUMOylation at lysine residue 110 is important for the ability of NRF2 to promote reactive oxygen species (ROS) clearance in hepatocellular carcinoma. In this study, we investigated whether SUMOylation is necessary for the ability of NRF2 to inhibit KLK lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) cell migration and invasion. Our experiments showed that mild oxidative stress reduced NRF2 SUMOylation, which promoted KLK LUAD cell migration and invasion. Mechanistically, NRF2 SUMOylation increased the antioxidant ability of NRF2 and reduced cellular ROS levels, mainly by transcriptionally activating Cat in KLK LUAD cells. With reduced NRF2 SUMOylation, increased ROS acted as signaling molecules to activate the JNK/c-Jun axis, which enhanced cell mobility and cell adhesion, to promote LUAD cell migration and invasion. Taken together, the results of this study reveal a novel signaling process in which reduced NRF2 SUMOylation permits increased KLK LUAD cell migration and invasion under mild oxidative stress.

The Critical Roles of the SUMO-Specific Protease SENP3 in Human Diseases and Clinical Implications

Post-translational modification by SUMO (small ubiquitin-like modifier) proteins has been shown to regulate a variety of functions of proteins, including protein stability, chromatin organization, transcription, DNA repair, subcellular localization, protein–protein interactions, and protein homeostasis. SENP (sentrin/SUMO-specific protease) regulates precursor processing and deconjugation of SUMO to control cellular mechanisms. SENP3, which is one of the SENP family members, deconjugates target proteins to alter protein modification. The effect of modification via SUMO and SENP3 is crucial to maintain the balance of SUMOylation and guarantee normal protein function and cellular activities. SENP3 acts as an oxidative stress-responsive molecule under physiological conditions. Under pathological conditions, if the SUMOylation process of proteins is affected by variations in SENP3 levels, it will cause a cellular reaction and ultimately lead to abnormal cellular activities and the occurrence and development of human diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, neurological diseases, and various cancers. In this review, we summarized the most recent advances concerning the critical roles of SENP3 in normal physiological and pathological conditions as well as the potential clinical implications in various diseases. Targeting SENP3 alone or in combination with current therapies might provide powerful targeted therapeutic strategies for the treatment of these diseases.

The Function of SUMOylation and Its Role in the Development of Cancer Cells under Stress Conditions: A Systematic Review

Malignant tumors still pose serious threats to human health due to their high morbidity and mortality. Recurrence and metastasis are the most important factors affecting patient prognosis. Chemotherapeutic drugs and radiation used to treat these tumors mainly interfere with tumor metabolism, destroy DNA integrity, and inhibit protein synthesis. The upregulation of small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) is a prevalent posttranslational modification (PTM) in various cancers and plays a critical role in tumor development. The dysregulation of SUMOylation can protect cancer cells from stresses exerted by external or internal stimuli. SUMOylation is a dynamic process finely regulated by SUMOylation enzymes and proteases to maintain a balance between SUMOylation and deSUMOylation. An increasing number of studies have reported that SUMOylation imbalance may contribute to cancer development, including metastasis, angiogenesis, invasion, and proliferation. High level of SUMOylation is required for cancer cells to survive internal or external stresses. Downregulation of SUMOylation may inhibit the development of cancer, making it an important potential clinical therapeutic target. Some studies have already begun to treat tumors by inhibiting the expression of SUMOylation family members, including SUMO E1 or E2. The tumor cells become more aggressive under internal and external stresses. The prevention of tumor development, metastasis, recurrence, and radiochemotherapy resistance by attenuating SUMOylation requires further exploration. This review focused on SUMOylation in tumor cells to discuss its effects on tumor suppressor proteins and oncoproteins as well as classical tumor pathways to identify new insights for cancer clinical therapy.

Nuclear Factor Erythroid 2-Related Factor 2 in Regulating Cancer Metabolism

Significance: Nuclear factor erythroid 2 (NFE2)-related factor 2 (NFE2L2, or NRF2) is a transcription factor predominantly affecting the expression of antioxidant genes. NRF2 plays a significant role in the control of redox balance, which is crucial in cancer cells. NRF2 activation regulates numerous cancer hallmarks, including metabolism, cancer stem cell characteristics, tumor aggressiveness, invasion, and metastasis formation. We review the molecular characteristics of the NRF2 pathway and discuss its interactions with the cancer hallmarks previously listed. Recent Advances: The noncanonical activation of NRF2 was recently discovered, and members of this pathway are involved in carcinogenesis. Further, cancer-related changes (e.g., metabolic flexibility) that support cancer progression were found to be redox- and NRF2 dependent. Critical Issues: NRF2 undergoes Janus-faced behavior in cancers. The pro- or antineoplastic effects of NRF2 are context dependent and essentially based on the specific molecular characteristics of the cancer in question. Therefore, systematic investigation of NRF2 signaling is necessary to clarify its role in cancer etiology. The biggest challenge in the NRF2 field is to determine which cancers can be targeted for better clinical outcomes. Further, large-scale genomic and transcriptomic studies are missing to correlate the clinical outcome with the activity of the NRF2 system. Future Directions: To exploit NRF2 in a clinical setting in the future, the druggable members of the NRF2 pathway should be identified. In addition, it will be important to study how the modulation of the NRF2 system interferes with cytostatic drugs and their combinations.

ROS-Dependent ER Stress and Autophagy Mediate the Anti-Tumor Effects of Tributyltin (IV) Ferulate in Colon Cancer Cells

Organotin compounds represent potential cancer therapeutics due to their pro-apoptotic action. We recently synthesized the novel organotin ferulic acid derivative tributyltin (IV) ferulate (TBT-F) and demonstrated that it displays anti-tumor properties in colon cancer cells related with autophagic cell death. The purpose of the present study was to elucidate the mechanism of TBT-F action in colon cancer cells. We specifically show that TBT-F-dependent autophagy is determined by a rapid generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and correlated with endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. TBT-F evoked nuclear factor erythroid-2 related factor 2 (Nrf2)-mediated antioxidant response and Nrf2 silencing by RNA interference markedly increased the anti-tumor efficacy of the compound. Moreover, as a consequence of ROS production, TBT-F increased the levels of glucose regulated protein 78 (Grp78) and C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP), two ER stress markers. Interestingly, Grp78 silencing produced significant decreasing effects on the levels of the autophagic proteins p62 and LC3-II, while only p62 decreased in CHOP-silenced cells. Taken together, these results indicate that ROS-dependent ER stress and autophagy play a major role in the TBT-F action mechanism in colon cancer cells and open a new perspective to consider the compound as a potential candidate for colon cancer treatment.

Cellular Responses to Platinum-Based Anticancer Drugs and UVC: Role of p53 and Implications for Cancer Therapy

Chemotherapy is intended to induce cancer cell death through apoptosis and other avenues. Unfortunately, as discussed in this article, moderate doses of genotoxic drugs such as cisplatin typical of those achieved in the clinic often invoke a cytostatic/dormancy rather than cytotoxic/apoptosis response in solid tumour-derived cell lines. This is commonly manifested by an extended apoptotic threshold, with extensive apoptosis only being seen after very high/supralethal doses of such agents. The dormancy response can be associated with senescence-like features, polyploidy and/or multinucleation, depending in part on the p53 status of the cells. In most solid tumour-derived cells, dormancy represents a long-term survival mechanism, ultimately contributing to disease recurrence. This review highlights the nonlinearity of key aspects of the molecular and cellular responses to bulky DNA lesions in human cells treated with chemotherapeutic drugs (e.g., cisplatin) or ultraviolet light-C (a widely used tool for unraveling details of the DNA damage-response) as a function of the level of genotoxic stress. Such data highlight the growing realization that targeting dormant cancer cells, which frequently emerge following conventional anticancer treatments, may represent a novel strategy to prevent or, at least, significantly suppress cancer recurrence.

Opposing biological functions of the cytoplasm and nucleus DAXX modified by SUMO-2/3 in gastric cancer

Death domain-associated protein (DAXX) is a complex biological multifunctional protein and is involved in the tumorigenesis and progression of multiple cancers. The accumulation of DAXX in the nucleus is a common phenomenon in tumor cells. However, altering the subcellular localizations of DAXX results in different biological functions, and we also found that its nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio (NCR) was associated with poor prognosis in gastric cancer (GC). In this study, we investigated the effect of cytoplasmic and nuclear DAXX (cDAXX and nDAXX) in GC and the underlying mechanisms. Immunohistochemical detection performed in 323 GC tissues reveled that cDAXX was associated with a better survival, while high nDAXX expression suggested a poorer prognosis outcome. Upregulation of DAXX in the cytoplasm inhibited cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis, whereas downregulation of DAXX in the nucleus displayed opposite effects. Moreover, Transwell assays revealed that DAXX enhanced GC cell migration and invasion. Analysis from the Gene Expression Profile Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) database showed that the expression of DAXX was significantly associated with SUMO-2/3 in GC tissues. Co-immunoprecipitation combined with immunofluorescence analysis indicated that DAXX interacted directly with SUMO-2/3. Subsequently, down-regulating the expression of SUMO-2/3 resulted in altered subcellular localization of DAXX. Bioinformatics analysis showed that RanBP2 may act as SUMO E3 ligase to promote nuclear-plasma transport via combining with RanGAP1. Taken together, our results indicated that DAXX plays opposing roles in GC and suggest a new model whereby cDAXX, nDAXX, and SUMO-2/3 form a molecular network that regulates the subcellular localization of DAXX and thereby modulates its opposing biological effects. Thus, our findings provide a foundation for future studies of DAXX as a novel therapeutic target for patients with GC.

NRF2/SHH signaling cascade promotes tumor-initiating cell lineage and drug resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma

Solid evidence shows that tumor-initiating cells (T-ICs) are the root of tumor relapse and drug resistance, which lead to a poor prognosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Through an in vitro liver T-IC enrichment approach, we identified nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (NRF2) as a transcription regulator that is significantly activated in enriched liver T-IC populations. In human HCCs, NRF2 was found to be overexpressed, which was associated with poor patient survival. Through a lentiviral based knockdown approach, NRF2 was found to be critical for regulating liver T-IC properties, including self-renewal, tumorigenicity, drug resistance and expression of liver T-IC markers. Furthermore, we found that ROS-induced NRF2 activation regulates sorafenib resistance in HCC cells. Mechanistically, NRF2 was found to physically bind to the promoter of sonic hedgehog homolog (SHH), which triggers activation of the sonic hedgehog pathway. The effect of NRF2 knockdown was eliminated upon administration of recombinant SHH, demonstrating that NRF2 mediated T-IC function via upregulation of SHH expression. Our study suggests a novel regulatory mechanism for the canonical sonic hedgehog pathway that may function through the NRF2/SHH/GLI signaling axis, thus mediating T-IC phenotypes.