Monoamine oxidase B induces ERK-dependent cell mitogenesis by hydrogen peroxide generation

The mitochondrial enzyme monoamine oxidase (MAO) A and B catalyze the oxidative deamination of various endogenous and exogenous biogenic amines. In the present study, we used human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK 293) cells stably transfected with human MAO-B cDNA to investigate the potential role of hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) produced by MAO-B isoform as an intracellular messenger involved in regulation of cell signaling and function. The MAO substrate tyramine induced tyrosine phosphorylation of Shc, ERK activation, and an increase in DNA synthesis in HEK 293 expressing MAO-B, but not in wild type HEK 293 cells, which do not express MAO. Tyramine effects were fully prevented by cell pretreatment with the MAO inhibitor pargyline or the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine. These results show that MAO-B induces MAPK/ERK activation and cell mitogenesis through H(2)O(2) production.