The Hallmarks of Cancer from a Redox Perspective

Abstract

SIGNIFICANCE: For a healthy cell to turn into a cancer cell and grow out to become a tumor, it needs to undergo a series of complex changes and acquire certain traits, summarized as "The Hallmarks of Cancer." These hallmarks can all be regarded as the result of altered signal transduction cascades and an understanding of these cascades is essential for cancer treatment. RECENT ADVANCES: Redox signaling is a long overlooked form of signal transduction that proceeds through the reversible oxidation of cysteines in proteins and that uses hydrogen peroxide as a second messenger. CRITICAL ISSUES: In this article, we provide examples that show that redox signaling is involved in the regulation of proteins and signaling cascades that play roles in every hallmark of cancer. FUTURE DIRECTIONS: An understanding of how redox signaling and "classical" signal transduction are intertwined could hold promising strategies for cancer therapy in the future. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 25, 300-325.