Melanin photoreactions in aerated media: Electron spin resonance evidence for production of superoxide and hydrogen peroxide

Felix, Christopher C.; Hyde, James S.; Sarna, Tadeusz; Sealy, Roger C.

doi:10.1016/0006-291x(78)90175-4

Cited by 180 publications

(95 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…However, under extreme conditions, for example harmful levels of UVA radiation, melanin can also have deleterious effects. These include toxicity 42,43 , the ability to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) 44 and photodegradation leading to hydrogen peroxide production 45 . Pheomelanin may also have a carcinogenic effect that contributes to malignant melanoma formation as one study found that albinos with melanocytes incapable of producing melanin had a very low incidence of melanoma, with only 27 cases reported in the literature 46 .…”

Section: Melanocytes and Melaninmentioning

confidence: 99%

Role of the pro-survival molecule Bfl-1 in melanoma

Hind

Carter

Harris

et al. 2015

The International Journal of Biochemistry & Cell Biology

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Melanoma, the cancer derived from the melanocytes of the skin, is becoming an ever more common cancer in the ageing population of the developed world and displays an intrinsic resistance to current therapies. This chemo resistance makes metastatic melanoma an extremely difficult cancer to treat leading to a 5 year survival rate of just 20%. As such, it is important to unearth new potential drug targets to increase the prospects for melanoma patients.Bfl-1 is a pro-survival protein of the Bcl-2 family of apoptosis regulating proteins. It has been found to be over-expressed in a small subset of chemo resistant tumours, including melanoma. Accordingly, I characterised the molecule in melanoma cells and determined its role in protecting these cells from chemotherapy-induced apoptosis. I elucidated the expression profile and half-lives of the protein and mRNA across a panel of melanoma cell-lines and healthy melanocytes. I also confirmed, using pathway specific inhibitors, that Bfl-1 was transcriptionally regulated by the NFB pathway and concluded through pulsechase experiments that Bfl-1 protein was degraded, at least in part, by the proteasome. Subcellular fractionation and indirect immunofluorescence techniques elucidated that Bfl-1 was located mostly at the mitochondria in both resting and apoptotic cells, with a diffuse level present throughout the cytoplasm. As well as characterising the protein in both melanoma cells and healthy primary melanocytes, I determined its role in the resistance of these cells to apoptosis. Over-expressed Bfl-1 was found to protect melanoma cells from apoptosis caused by a range of chemotherapeutic agents in A375 melanoma cells, which naturally expressed very low levels of Bfl-1. Further, knock down of Bfl-1 using siRNA technology in melanoma cells revealed the dependence of these cells on Bfl-1 for their resistance to certain chemotherapeutic agents currently used in melanoma treatment, including the MEK inhibitor PD901. All together, this research contributes to our understanding of Bfl-1 and highlights it as a potentially important therapeutic target in metastatic melanoma.

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Section: Melanocytes and Melaninmentioning

confidence: 99%

Role of the pro-survival molecule Bfl-1 in melanoma

Hind

Carter

Harris

et al. 2015

The International Journal of Biochemistry & Cell Biology

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“…3 is used as a guide for interpreting EPR spectra of melanin radicals and their chemistry. For melanin (37) and reference compound p-benzoquinone (36), the initial EPR signal of the RP is emissive. The negative emission signal of the RP returns to the baseline within Ϸ10 s by means of the RP spin lattice relaxation (Fig.…”

Section: Cwepr Of Synthetic Melaninmentioning

confidence: 99%

Melanin photoprotection in the human retinal pigment epithelium and its correlation with light-induced cell apoptosis

Seagle

Rezai

Kobori

et al. 2005

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

100

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Time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance (TREPR) spectroscopy was used to study melanin free radicals in human retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells and tyrosine-derived synthetic melanin. TREPR signal traces from RPE cells reveal in vivo light-induced melanin free radical photochemistry in more detail than previously known. Electron spin polarization reflecting a non-Boltzmann population within the energy levels of the spin system is observed in RPE cells as the result of the triplet state photoproduction and subsequent disappearance of free radicals in the melanin polymer. In a set of RPE cells cultured from individual sources, differences in optical absorption, continuous wave EPR spectra, and TREPR signals were correlated with apoptosis assays performed by flow cytometry. Continuous wave EPR spectra of RPE cells and TREPR of acidified synthetic melanin suggest that increased melanin aggregation provides an increase in photoprotection in the RPE cells that are relatively less susceptible to blue light-induced apoptosis.continuous wave EPR ͉ electron spin polarization ͉ time-resolved EPR I n the eye, retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is a monolayer of cuboidal cells between the photoreceptors and choriocapillaris of the eye and is specialized to uptake, phagocytize, and recycle the outer segment of photoreceptors and retinaldehyde, the chromophore of rhodopsin (1). RPE cell death plays a major role in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in the population Ͼ60 years of age in the developed world (2). Possible reasons given for the degeneration of RPE cells are their exposure to high oxidative stress and damaging irradiation (2-6).The pigment melanin, found in RPE cells, is a heterogeneous polymer consisting of various monomers believed to be oxidation products of dopa (dihydroxyphenylalinine) derived from tyrosine (7). Melanin contains intrinsic, indolesemiquinone-like doublet-state radicals (8, 9). Extrinsic indolesemiquinone-like radicals are reversibly photogenerated under visible or UV irradiation (9). RPE melanin serves a photoprotective role by absorbing radiation and scavenging free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) (8-11). Evidence also exists for a phototoxic role for melanin in RPE cells, especially in aged cells, including measurable ROS photoproduction (8,(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18). Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy enables a sensitive and nondestructive analysis and differentiation of natural melanin (9,19,20). The photophysical, redox, and aggregation properties of melanin as well as its ability to bind metals, proteins, and drugs have stimulated numerous studies in chemical, physical, and medical research (8, 9). The diversity and interrelations of its properties and the lack of chemical structures have hampered a clear understanding of the roles of melanin in RPE cells (8,9). Nanosecond time-resolved (TR) EPR studies have not been reported despite the relevance of TREPR to the study of melanin photochemistry (9). El...

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“…The UVA-induced degradation of DHICA-melanin also led to a 16-fold increase in fluorescence intensity ( Figure 8A). In this connection, it should be added that photo-induced melanin degradation gave rise to an intense fluorescence in the epidermis (Elleder and Borovanský , 2001) as a result of hydrogen peroxide production (Felix et al, 1978;Sarna and Sealy, 1984).…”

Section: Uva-induced Degradation Of Eumelaninmentioning

confidence: 99%

UVA‐induced oxidative degradation of melanins: fission of indole moiety in eumelanin and conversion to benzothiazole moiety in pheomelanin

Wakamatsu

Nakanishi

Miyazaki

et al. 2012

Pigment Cell Melanoma Res

115

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Subscribe to PCMR and stay up-to-date with the only journal committed to publishing basic research in melanoma and pigment cell biology As a member of the IFPCS or the SMR you automatically get online access to PCMR. Sign up as a member today at www.ifpcs.org or at www.societymelanomaresarch.org SummaryEumelanin is photoprotective while pheomelanin is phototoxic to pigmented tissues. Ultraviolet A (UVA)-induced tanning seems to result from the photooxidation of pre-existing melanin and contributes no photoprotection. However, data available for melanin biodegradation remain limited. In this study, we first examined photodegradation of eumelanin and pheomelanin in human black hairs and found that the ratio of Free (formed by peroxidation in situ) to Total (after hydrogen peroxide oxidation) pyrrole-2,3,5-tricarboxylic acid (PTCA) increases with hair aging, indicating fission of the dihydroxyindole moiety. In red hair, the ratio of thiazole-2,4,5-tricarboxylic acid (TTCA) to 4-amino-3-hydroxyphenylalanine (4-AHP) increases with aging, indicating the conversion from benzothiazine to benzothiazole moiety. These photodegradation of melanins were confirmed by UVA (not UVB) irradiation of melanins from mice and human hairs and synthetic eumelanin and pheomelanin. These results show that both eumelanin and pheomelanin degrade by UVA and that Free ⁄ Total PTCA and TTCA ⁄ 4-AHP ratios serve as sensitive indicators of photodegradation.

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Melanin photoreactions in aerated media: Electron spin resonance evidence for production of superoxide and hydrogen peroxide

Cited by 180 publications

References 10 publications

Role of the pro-survival molecule Bfl-1 in melanoma

Role of the pro-survival molecule Bfl-1 in melanoma

Melanin photoprotection in the human retinal pigment epithelium and its correlation with light-induced cell apoptosis

UVA‐induced oxidative degradation of melanins: fission of indole moiety in eumelanin and conversion to benzothiazole moiety in pheomelanin

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