1
|
Torres-Velarde JM, Allen KN, Salvador-Pascual A, Leija RG, Luong D, Moreno-Santillán DD, Ensminger DC, Vázquez-Medina JP. Peroxiredoxin 6 suppresses ferroptosis in lung endothelial cells. Free Radic Biol Med 2024; 218:82-93. [PMID: 38579937 PMCID: PMC11177496 DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2024.04.208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2024] [Revised: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024]
Abstract
Peroxiredoxin 6 (Prdx6) repairs peroxidized membranes by reducing oxidized phospholipids, and by replacing oxidized sn-2 fatty acyl groups through hydrolysis/reacylation by its phospholipase A2 (aiPLA2) and lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase activities. Prdx6 is highly expressed in the lung, and intact lungs and cells null for Prdx6 or with single-point mutations that inactivate either Prdx6-peroxidase or aiPLA2 activity alone exhibit decreased viability, increased lipid peroxidation, and incomplete repair when exposed to paraquat, hyperoxia, or organic peroxides. Ferroptosis is form of cell death driven by the accumulation of phospholipid hydroperoxides. We studied the role of Prdx6 as a ferroptosis suppressor in the lung. We first compared the expression Prdx6 and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPx4) and visualized Prdx6 and GPx4 within the lung. Lung Prdx6 mRNA levels were five times higher than GPx4 levels. Both Prdx6 and GPx4 localized to epithelial and endothelial cells. Prdx6 knockout or knockdown sensitized lung endothelial cells to erastin-induced ferroptosis. Cells with genetic inactivation of either aiPLA2 or Prdx6-peroxidase were more sensitive to ferroptosis than WT cells, but less sensitive than KO cells. We then conducted RNA-seq analyses in Prdx6-depleted cells to further explore how the loss of Prdx6 sensitizes lung endothelial cells to ferroptosis. Prdx6 KD upregulated transcriptional signatures associated with selenoamino acid metabolism and mitochondrial function. Accordingly, Prdx6 deficiency blunted mitochondrial function and increased GPx4 abundance whereas GPx4 KD had the opposite effect on Prdx6. Moreover, we detected Prdx6 and GPx4 interactions in intact cells, suggesting that both enzymes cooperate to suppress lipid peroxidation. Notably, Prdx6-depleted cells remained sensitive to erastin-induced ferroptosis despite the compensatory increase in GPx4. These results show that Prdx6 suppresses ferroptosis in lung endothelial cells and that both aiPLA2 and Prdx6-peroxidase contribute to this effect. These results also show that Prdx6 supports mitochondrial function and modulates several coordinated cytoprotective pathways in the pulmonary endothelium.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Kaitlin N Allen
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, USA
| | | | - Roberto G Leija
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, USA
| | - Diamond Luong
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, USA
| | | | - David C Ensminger
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
2
|
Arnér ESJ, Schmidt EE. Unresolved questions regarding cellular cysteine sources and their possible relationships to ferroptosis. Adv Cancer Res 2024; 162:1-44. [PMID: 39069366 DOI: 10.1016/bs.acr.2024.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/30/2024]
Abstract
Cysteine is required for synthesis of glutathione (GSH), coenzyme A, other sulfur-containing metabolites, and most proteins. In most cells, cysteine comes from extracellular disulfide sources including cystine, glutathione-disulfide, and peptides. The thioredoxin reductase-1 (TrxR1)- or glutathione-disulfide reductase (GSR)-driven enzymatic systems can fuel cystine reduction via thioredoxins, glutaredoxins, or other thioredoxin-fold proteins. Free cystine enters cells thorough the cystine-glutamate antiporter, xCT, but systemically, plasma glutathione-disulfide might predominate as a cystine source. Erastin, inhibiting both xCT and voltage-dependent anion channels, induces ferroptotic cell death, so named because this type of cell death is antagonized by iron-chelators. Many cancer cells seem to be predisposed to ferroptosis, which has been proposed as a targetable cancer liability. Ferroptosis is associated with lipid peroxidation and loss of either glutathione peroxidase-4 (GPX4) or ferroptosis suppressor protein-1 (FSP1), which each prevent accumulation of lipid peroxides. It has been suggested that an xCT inhibition-induced cellular cysteine-deficiency lowers GSH levels, starving GPX4 for reducing power and allowing membrane lipid peroxides to accumulate, thereby causing ferroptosis. Aspects of ferroptosis are however not fully understood and need to be further scrutinized, for example that neither disruption of GSH synthesis, loss of GSH, nor disruption of glutathione disulfide reductase (GSR), triggers ferroptosis in animal models. Here we reevaluate the relationships between Erastin, xCT, GPX4, cellular cysteine and GSH, RSL3 or ML162, and ferroptosis. We conclude that, whereas both Cys and ferroptosis are potential liabilities in cancer, their relationship to each other remains insufficiently understood.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elias S J Arnér
- Division of Biochemistry, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Selenoprotein Research and the National Tumor Biology Laboratory, National Institutes of Oncology, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Edward E Schmidt
- Laboratory of Redox Biology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary; Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Martínez-Esquivias F, Perez-Larios A, Guzmán-Flores JM. Effect of Administration of Selenium Nanoparticles Synthesized Using Onion Extract on Biochemical and Inflammatory Parameters in Mice Fed with High-Fructose Diet: In Vivo and In Silico Analysis. Biol Trace Elem Res 2024; 202:558-568. [PMID: 37119340 DOI: 10.1007/s12011-023-03685-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/01/2023]
Abstract
Fructose consumption has increased globally and has been linked to obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes. Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) can regulate glucose and lipid concentrations and have immunoregulatory properties. Four study groups (n = 7/group) of eight-week-old male mice (Balb/c) were formed for this investigation. One group received a standard diet (C), another standard diet plus SeNPs (C + SeNPs), a high fructose diet (F), and a group with a high fructose diet plus SeNPs (F + SeNPs). Weight, glucose, triglycerides, and cholesterol were evaluated. In the end, mice were sacrificed, blood samples were obtained to assess cytokine profile, and liver, kidney, and pancreas were removed for histological examination. The study was complemented with an in silico analysis where the CTD, STITCH, ToppGene Suite, ShinyGO 0.76.3 databases, and Cytoscape software were implemented. The results of in vivo analysis showed that SeNPs regulated biochemical parameters and showed anti-inflammatory effects by decreasing the concentrations of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, and IFN-gamma and increasing IL-10. No damage was observed in the studied organs. In addition, SeNPs regulate oxidative stress, preserve cell organelles, and regulate metabolic pathways to avoid the adverse effects of fructose consumption, according to bioinformatics analysis. In conclusion, SeNPs protect against the undesirable effects of a diet rich in fructose.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fernando Martínez-Esquivias
- Instituto de Investigación en Biociencias, Centro Universitario de Los Altos, Universidad de Guadalajara, Av. Rafael Casillas Aceves 1200, Tepatitlán de Morelos, 47600, Jalisco, México
| | - Alejandro Perez-Larios
- Laboratorio de Materiales, Centro Universitario de Los Altos, Universidad de Guadalajara, Agua y Energía, Tepatitlán de Morelos, Jalisco, México
| | - Juan Manuel Guzmán-Flores
- Instituto de Investigación en Biociencias, Centro Universitario de Los Altos, Universidad de Guadalajara, Av. Rafael Casillas Aceves 1200, Tepatitlán de Morelos, 47600, Jalisco, México.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Dos Santos AF, Fazeli G, Xavier da Silva TN, Friedmann Angeli JP. Ferroptosis: mechanisms and implications for cancer development and therapy response. Trends Cell Biol 2023; 33:1062-1076. [PMID: 37230924 DOI: 10.1016/j.tcb.2023.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
As cancer cells develop resistance to apoptosis, non-apoptotic cell death modalities, such as ferroptosis, have emerged as promising strategies to combat therapy-resistant cancers. Cells that develop resistance to conventional therapies or metastatic cancer cells have been shown to have increased sensitivity to ferroptosis. Therefore, targeting the regulatory elements of ferroptosis in cancer could offer novel therapeutic opportunities. In this review, we first provide an overview of the known ferroptosis regulatory networks and discuss recent findings on how they contribute to cancer plasticity. We then expand into the critical role of selenium metabolism in regulating ferroptosis. Finally, we highlight specific cases where induction of ferroptosis could be used to sensitize cancer cells to this form of cell death.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ancély Ferreira Dos Santos
- Rudolf Virchow Center for Integrative and Translational Bioimaging, Chair of Translational Cell Biology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Gholamreza Fazeli
- Rudolf Virchow Center for Integrative and Translational Bioimaging, Chair of Translational Cell Biology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Thamara Nishida Xavier da Silva
- Rudolf Virchow Center for Integrative and Translational Bioimaging, Chair of Translational Cell Biology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - José Pedro Friedmann Angeli
- Rudolf Virchow Center for Integrative and Translational Bioimaging, Chair of Translational Cell Biology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Garcia E, Buzoianu-Anguiano V, Silva-Garcia R, Esparza-Salazar F, Arriero-Cabañero A, Escandon A, Doncel-Pérez E, Ibarra A. Use of Cells, Supplements, and Peptides as Therapeutic Strategies for Modulating Inflammation after Spinal Cord Injury: An Update. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:13946. [PMID: 37762251 PMCID: PMC10531377 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241813946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 09/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Spinal cord injury is a traumatic lesion that causes a catastrophic condition in patients, resulting in neuronal deficit and loss of motor and sensory function. That loss is caused by secondary injury events following mechanical damage, which results in cell death. One of the most important events is inflammation, which activates molecules like proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IFN-γ, and TNF-α) that provoke a toxic environment, inhibiting axonal growth and exacerbating CNS damage. As there is no effective treatment, one of the developed therapies is neuroprotection of the tissue to preserve healthy tissue. Among the strategies that have been developed are the use of cell therapy, the use of peptides, and molecules or supplements that have been shown to favor an anti-inflammatory environment that helps to preserve tissue and cells at the site of injury, thus favoring axonal growth and improved locomotor function. In this review, we will explain some of these strategies used in different animal models of spinal cord injury, their activity as modulators of the immune system, and the benefits they have shown.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Garcia
- Centro de Investigación en Ciencias de la Salud (CICSA), FCS, Universidad Anáhuac México Campus Norte, Huixquilucan 52786, Mexico; (E.G.); (F.E.-S.); (A.E.)
| | - Vinnitsa Buzoianu-Anguiano
- Grupo Regeneración Neural, Hospital Nacional de Parapléjicos, SESCAM, 45071 Toledo, Spain; (V.B.-A.); (A.A.-C.)
| | - Raúl Silva-Garcia
- Unidad de Investigación Médica en Inmunología Hospital de Pediatría, CMN-SXXI, IMSS, Mexico City 06720, Mexico;
| | - Felipe Esparza-Salazar
- Centro de Investigación en Ciencias de la Salud (CICSA), FCS, Universidad Anáhuac México Campus Norte, Huixquilucan 52786, Mexico; (E.G.); (F.E.-S.); (A.E.)
| | - Alejandro Arriero-Cabañero
- Grupo Regeneración Neural, Hospital Nacional de Parapléjicos, SESCAM, 45071 Toledo, Spain; (V.B.-A.); (A.A.-C.)
| | - Adela Escandon
- Centro de Investigación en Ciencias de la Salud (CICSA), FCS, Universidad Anáhuac México Campus Norte, Huixquilucan 52786, Mexico; (E.G.); (F.E.-S.); (A.E.)
| | - Ernesto Doncel-Pérez
- Grupo Regeneración Neural, Hospital Nacional de Parapléjicos, SESCAM, 45071 Toledo, Spain; (V.B.-A.); (A.A.-C.)
| | - Antonio Ibarra
- Centro de Investigación en Ciencias de la Salud (CICSA), FCS, Universidad Anáhuac México Campus Norte, Huixquilucan 52786, Mexico; (E.G.); (F.E.-S.); (A.E.)
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Mitochondria: Emerging Consequential in Sickle Cell Disease. J Clin Med 2023; 12:jcm12030765. [PMID: 36769414 PMCID: PMC9917941 DOI: 10.3390/jcm12030765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2022] [Revised: 01/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Advanced mitochondrial multi-omics indicate a multi-facet involvement of mitochondria in the physiology of the cell, changing the perception of mitochondria from being just the energy-generating organelles to organelles that highly influence cell structure, function, signaling, and cell fate. This sets mitochondrial dysfunction in the centerstage of numerous acquired and genetic diseases. Sickle cell disease is also being increasingly associated with mitochondrial anomalies and the pathophysiology of sickle cell disease finds mitochondria at crucial intersections in the pathological cascade. Altered mitophagy, increased ROS, and mitochondrial DNA all contribute to the condition and its severity. Such mitochondrial aberrations lead to consequent mitochondrial retention in red blood cells in sickle cell diseases, increased oxidation in the cellular environment, inflammation, worsened vaso-occlusive crisis, etc. There are increasing studies indicating mitochondrial significance in sickle cell disease, consequently providing an opportunity to target it for improving the outcomes of treatment. Identification of the impaired mitochondrial attributes in sickle cell disease and their modulation by therapeutic interventions can impart a better management of the disease. This review aims to describe the mitochondria in the perspective of sicke cell disease so as to provide the reader an overview of the emerging mitochondrial stance in sickle cell disease.
Collapse
|
7
|
Schwarz M, Löser A, Cheng Q, Wichmann-Costaganna M, Schädel P, Werz O, Arnér ESJ, Kipp AP. Side-by-side comparison of recombinant human glutathione peroxidases identifies overlapping substrate specificities for soluble hydroperoxides. Redox Biol 2023; 59:102593. [PMID: 36608588 PMCID: PMC9827380 DOI: 10.1016/j.redox.2022.102593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Revised: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Five out of eight human glutathione peroxidases (GPXs) are selenoproteins, representing proteins that contain selenium as part of the amino acid selenocysteine. The GPXs are important for reducing hydroperoxides in a glutathione-consuming manner and thus regulate cellular redox homeostasis. GPX1, GPX2, and GPX4 represent the three main cytosolic GPXs, but they differ in their expression patterns with GPX1 and GPX4 being expressed ubiquitously, whereas GPX2 is mainly expressed in epithelial cells. GPX1 and GPX2 have been described to reduce soluble hydroperoxides, while GPX4 reduces complex lipid hydroperoxides, thus protecting cells from lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis. But most of these data are derived from cells that are devoid of one of the isoforms and thus, compensation or other cellular effects might affect the conclusions. So far, the use of isolated recombinant human selenoprotein glutathione peroxidases in pure enzyme assays has not been employed to study their substrate specificities side by side. Using recombinant GPX1, GPX2, and GPX4 produced in E. coli we here assessed their GPX activities by a NADPH-consuming glutathione reductase-coupled assay with 17 different peroxides (all at 50 μM) as substrates. GPX4 was clearly the only isoform able to reduce phosphatidylcholine hydroperoxide. In contrast, small soluble hydroperoxides such as H2O2, cumene hydroperoxide, and tert-butyl hydroperoxide were reduced by all three isoforms, but with approximately 10-fold higher efficiency for GPX1 in comparison to GPX2 and GPX4. Also, several fatty acid-derived hydroperoxides were reduced by all three isoforms and again GPX1 had the highest activity. Interestingly, the stereoisomerism of the fatty acid-derived hydroperoxides clearly affected the activity of the GPX enzymes. Overall, distinct substrate specificity is obvious for GPX4, but not so when comparing GPX1 and GPX2. Clearly GPX1 was the most potent isoform of the three GPXs in terms of turnover in reduction of soluble and fatty-acid derived hydroperoxides.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Schwarz
- Department of Nutritional Physiology, Institute of Nutritional Sciences, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, 07743, Germany,TraceAge-DFG Research Unit on Interactions of Essential Trace Elements in Healthy and Diseased Elderly, Potsdam-Berlin-Jena, Germany
| | - Alina Löser
- Department of Nutritional Physiology, Institute of Nutritional Sciences, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, 07743, Germany,TraceAge-DFG Research Unit on Interactions of Essential Trace Elements in Healthy and Diseased Elderly, Potsdam-Berlin-Jena, Germany
| | - Qing Cheng
- Division of Biochemistry, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, SE-171 77, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mareike Wichmann-Costaganna
- Department of Pharmaceutical/Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany
| | - Patrick Schädel
- Department of Pharmaceutical/Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany
| | - Oliver Werz
- Department of Pharmaceutical/Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany
| | - Elias SJ. Arnér
- Division of Biochemistry, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, SE-171 77, Stockholm, Sweden,Department of Selenoprotein Research, National Institute of Oncology, 1122, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Anna P. Kipp
- Department of Nutritional Physiology, Institute of Nutritional Sciences, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, 07743, Germany,TraceAge-DFG Research Unit on Interactions of Essential Trace Elements in Healthy and Diseased Elderly, Potsdam-Berlin-Jena, Germany,Corresponding author. Department of Nutritional Physiology, Institute of Nutritional Sciences, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Dornburger Str. 24, 07743, Jena, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Manta B, Makarova NE, Mariotti M. The selenophosphate synthetase family: A review. Free Radic Biol Med 2022; 192:63-76. [PMID: 36122644 DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2022.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Revised: 09/11/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Selenophosphate synthetases use selenium and ATP to synthesize selenophosphate. This is required for biological utilization of selenium, most notably for the synthesis of the non-canonical amino acid selenocysteine (Sec). Therefore, selenophosphate synthetases underlie all functions of selenoproteins, which include redox homeostasis, protein quality control, hormone regulation, metabolism, and many others. This protein family comprises two groups, SelD/SPS2 and SPS1. The SelD/SPS2 group represent true selenophosphate synthetases, enzymes central to selenium metabolism which are present in all Sec-utilizing organisms across the tree of life. Notably, many SelD/SPS2 proteins contain Sec as catalytic residue in their N-terminal flexible selenium-binding loop, while others replace it with cysteine (Cys). The SPS1 group comprises proteins originated through gene duplications of SelD/SPS2 in metazoa in which the Sec/Cys-dependent catalysis was disrupted. SPS1 proteins do not synthesize selenophosphate and are not required for Sec synthesis. They have essential regulatory functions related to redox homeostasis and pyridoxal phosphate, which affect signaling pathways for growth and differentiation. In this review, we summarize the knowledge about the selenophosphate synthetase family acquired through decades of research, encompassing their structure, mechanism, function, and evolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Manta
- Laboratorio de Genómica Microbiana, Institut Pasteur Montevideo, Uruguay, Cátedra de Fisiopatología, Facultad de Odontología, Universidad de la República, Uruguay
| | - Nadezhda E Makarova
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Avinguda Diagonal 643, Barcelona, 08028, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Marco Mariotti
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Avinguda Diagonal 643, Barcelona, 08028, Catalonia, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Shimada BK, Swanson S, Toh P, Seale LA. Metabolism of Selenium, Selenocysteine, and Selenoproteins in Ferroptosis in Solid Tumor Cancers. Biomolecules 2022; 12:biom12111581. [PMID: 36358931 PMCID: PMC9687593 DOI: 10.3390/biom12111581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Revised: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
A potential target of precision nutrition in cancer therapeutics is the micronutrient selenium (Se). Se is metabolized and incorporated as the amino acid selenocysteine (Sec) into 25 human selenoproteins, including glutathione peroxidases (GPXs) and thioredoxin reductases (TXNRDs), among others. Both the processes of Se and Sec metabolism for the production of selenoproteins and the action of selenoproteins are utilized by cancer cells from solid tumors as a protective mechanism against oxidative damage and to resist ferroptosis, an iron-dependent cell death mechanism. Protection against ferroptosis in cancer cells requires sustained production of the selenoprotein GPX4, which involves increasing the uptake of Se, potentially activating Se metabolic pathways such as the trans-selenation pathway and the TXNRD1-dependent decomposition of inorganic selenocompounds to sustain GPX4 synthesis. Additionally, endoplasmic reticulum-resident selenoproteins also affect apoptotic responses in the presence of selenocompounds. Selenoproteins may also help cancer cells adapting against increased oxidative damage and the challenges of a modified nutrient metabolism that result from the Warburg switch. Finally, cancer cells may also rewire the selenoprotein hierarchy and use Se-related machinery to prioritize selenoproteins that are essential to the adaptations against ferroptosis and oxidative damage. In this review, we discuss both the evidence and the gaps in knowledge on how cancer cells from solid tumors use Se, Sec, selenoproteins, and the Se-related machinery to promote their survival particularly via resistance to ferroptosis.
Collapse
|