NOS1 S-nitrosylates PTEN and inhibits autophagy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells

Autophagy is a cellular survival mechanism that involves the catabolic degradation of damaged proteins and organelles during periods of metabolic stress, and when overly stimulated, commonly contributes to cell death. Nitric oxide (NO), a potent cellular messenger, participates in a complex mechanism which assists in controlling autophagy. However, the mechanism by which endogenous NO formed by distinct isoforms of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) helps to regulate autophagy in cancer cells remains unclear. Here we report that NOS1 reduces excessive levels of autophagy and promotes the survival of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells. We found that inhibition of NOS1 increased cell death resulting from siRNA or the use of pharmacologic agents; and this effect was reversed by the autophagy inhibitor, chloroquine. The role of NOS1 in the autophagy process depended on the activation of AKT/mTOR signaling by S-nitrosylation of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) proteins. The mechanism by which NOS1 modifies PTEN protein might involve a direct interaction between these two molecules. Moreover, in an in vivo study, the NOS1 inhibitor N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester activated AKT/mTOR signaling and promoted autophagy in xenograph tumors. Our studies demonstrated that NOS1 prevents excessive autophagy via S-nitrosylation of PTEN, and activation of the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. PTEN and the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway are promising targets for improving the chemotherapeutic treatment of cancer.