Reactive Oxygen and Nitrogen Species-Induced Protein Modifications: Implication in Carcinogenesis and Anticancer Therapy

Cancer is a complex disorder extremely dependent on its microenvironment and highly regulated by multiple intracellular and extracellular stimuli. Studies show that reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) play key roles in cancer initiation and progression. Accumulation of RONS caused by imbalance between RONS generation and activity of antioxidant system (AOS) has been observed in many cancer types. This leads to alterations in gene expression levels, signal transduction pathways, and protein quality control machinery, that is, processes that regulate cancer cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis. This review focuses on the latest advancements evidencing that RONS-induced modifications of key redox-sensitive residues in regulatory proteins, that is, cysteine oxidation/S-sulfenylation/S-glutathionylation/S-nitrosylation and tyrosine nitration, represent important molecular mechanisms underlying carcinogenesis. The oxidative/nitrosative modifications cause alterations in activities of intracellular effectors of MAPK- and PI3K/Akt-mediated signaling pathways, transcription factors (Nrf2, AP-1, NFκB, STAT3, and p53), components of ubiquitin/proteasomal and autophagy/lysosomal protein degradation systems, molecular chaperones, and cytoskeletal proteins. Redox-sensitive proteins, RONS-generating enzymes, and AOS components can serve as targets for relevant anticancer drugs. Chemotherapeutic agents exert their action via RONS generation and induction of cancer cell apoptosis, while drug resistance associates with RONS-induced cancer cell survival; this is exploited in selective anticancer therapy strategies. Cancer Res; 78(21); 1–8. ©2018 AACR.

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