Ethanol induces upregulation of the nerve growth factor receptor CD271 in human melanoma cells via nuclear factor-κB activation

Alcohol consumption is one of the most important, and potentially avoidable, risk factors of human cancer, accounting for 3.6% of all types of cancer worldwide. In a recent meta-analysis, a 20% increased risk of melanoma was linked with regular alcohol consumption. In the present study, the effect of ethanol exposure on the expression of the nerve growth factor receptor, CD271, in human FEMX-I melanoma cells was investigated. Consistent with the derivation of melanocytes from the neural crest, the majority of melanomas express CD271, a protein that is crucial for maintaining the melanoma stem cell properties, including the capacity of self-renewal and resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Analysis of CD271-sorted subpopulations and clones of FEMX-I cells indicated no hierarchical organization of CD271(+) and CD271(−) cells. In addition, CD271 expression was lost upon growth of FEMX-I melanoma cells in cancer stem cell-like conditions, while it was greatly increased upon CD133 knockdown or exposure to ethanol. After 24-h exposure to 100, 200 and 400 mM ethanol, the percentage of CD271(+) cells increased from 14% in control cells to 24, 35 and 88%, respectively. An increase in the percentage of CD271(+) cells was already evident 8 h after ethanol exposure and reached a maximum at 48 h. Ethanol-induced upregulation of CD271 was mediated by nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB). In fact, exposure of FEMX-I cells to 100–400 mM ethanol for 24 h resulted in a concentration- and time-dependent increase in NF-κB activity, up to 900% that of control cells. NF-κB activation was due to a decrease in p50 homodimers, which occupy the NF-κB binding site, blocking transactivation. No effects of ethanol on 9 additional signaling pathways of FEMX-I cells were observed. In the presence of CD271 blocking antibodies, NF-κB activation was not prevented, indicating that ethanol did not target CD271 directly. These data demonstrate that ethanol induces expression of CD271 in FEMX-I cells via NF-κB activation and indicate a possible molecular link between ethanol exposure and melanoma formation.