Monoamine Oxidase A (MAO-A): A Therapeutic Target in Lung Cancer

Monoamine oxidase-A (MAO-A), a pro-oxidative enzyme catalyzes the oxidative deamination of endogenous and exogenous monoamines/neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine or tyramine and converting them into their corresponding aldehydes and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Hyperactivity of MAO-A has been shown to be involved in depression, neuro-degeneration including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, neuropsychiatric disorders and cardiovascular diseases. Our recent results however demonstrated the involvement of MAO-A in promoting aggressiveness of lung carcinoma. We found both constitutive and inducible expression of MAO-A in non-small cell lung cancer cells H1299 and in A549 lung epithelial carcinoma cells. By using knockout (by CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology) or knockdown (using MAO-A specific esiRNA) MAO-A cells we demonstrated the role of MAO-A in promoting lung cancer aggressiveness and epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). From our observations, we can conclude that MAO-A may be considered as a potential therapeutic target for the intervention and treatment of lung carcinoma.