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Glorieux C, Enríquez C, González C, Aguirre-Martínez G, Buc Calderon P. The Multifaceted Roles of NRF2 in Cancer: Friend or Foe? Antioxidants (Basel) 2024; 13:70. [PMID: 38247494 PMCID: PMC10812565 DOI: 10.3390/antiox13010070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Physiological concentrations of reactive oxygen species (ROS) play vital roles in various normal cellular processes, whereas excessive ROS generation is central to disease pathogenesis. The nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) is a critical transcription factor that regulates the cellular antioxidant systems in response to oxidative stress by governing the expression of genes encoding antioxidant enzymes that shield cells from diverse oxidative alterations. NRF2 and its negative regulator Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (KEAP1) have been the focus of numerous investigations in elucidating whether NRF2 suppresses tumor promotion or conversely exerts pro-oncogenic effects. NRF2 has been found to participate in various pathological processes, including dysregulated cell proliferation, metabolic remodeling, and resistance to apoptosis. Herein, this review article will examine the intriguing role of phase separation in activating the NRF2 transcriptional activity and explore the NRF2 dual impacts on tumor immunology, cancer stem cells, metastasis, and long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs). Taken together, this review aims to discuss the NRF2 multifaceted roles in both cancer prevention and promotion while also addressing the advantages, disadvantages, and limitations associated with modulating NRF2 therapeutically in cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christophe Glorieux
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, China
| | - Cinthya Enríquez
- Química y Farmacia, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Arturo Prat, Iquique 1100000, Chile; (C.E.); (C.G.); (G.A.-M.)
- Programa de Magister en Ciencias Químicas y Farmacéuticas, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Arturo Prat, Iquique 1100000, Chile
| | - Constanza González
- Química y Farmacia, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Arturo Prat, Iquique 1100000, Chile; (C.E.); (C.G.); (G.A.-M.)
| | - Gabriela Aguirre-Martínez
- Química y Farmacia, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Arturo Prat, Iquique 1100000, Chile; (C.E.); (C.G.); (G.A.-M.)
- Instituto de Química Medicinal, Universidad Arturo Prat, Iquique 1100000, Chile
| | - Pedro Buc Calderon
- Química y Farmacia, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Arturo Prat, Iquique 1100000, Chile; (C.E.); (C.G.); (G.A.-M.)
- Instituto de Química Medicinal, Universidad Arturo Prat, Iquique 1100000, Chile
- Research Group in Metabolism and Nutrition, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, 1200 Brussels, Belgium
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Cai BQ, Chen WM, Chen MW, Chen YH, Tang JC. Nrf3 alleviates oxidative stress and promotes the survival of colon cancer cells by activating AKT/BCL-2 signal pathway. Open Life Sci 2023; 18:20220790. [PMID: 38027228 PMCID: PMC10668112 DOI: 10.1515/biol-2022-0790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2023] [Revised: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Oxidative stress is closely linked to tumor initiation and development, conferring a survival advantage to cancer cells. Therefore, understanding cancer cells' antioxidant molecular mechanisms is crucial to cancer therapy. In this study, we discovered that H2O2-induced oxidative stress increased Nrf3 expression in colon cancer cells. Overexpression of Nrf3 decreased H2O2-mediated cytotoxicity and apoptosis. Furthermore, Nrf3 reduced reactive oxygen species levels and malondialdehyde concentrations after H2O2 treatment. Mechanistically, H2O2-mediated cell apoptosis involves multiple signaling proteins, including Akt, bcl-2, JNK, and p38. An increase in Nrf3 expression in colon cancer cells treated with H2O2 partly reversed Akt/Bcl-2 inhibition, whereas it decreased activation of p38 and JNK. In addition, we found that increasing Nrf3 decreased stress-associated chemical-induced cell death, resulting in drug resistance. According to these results, Nrf3 is critical for drug resistance and oxidant adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bi-Qing Cai
- Institute of Basic Medicine and Forensics Medicine, North Sichuan Medical College, Fu Jiang Road 234, Shunqing District, Nanchong, Sichuan, 637000, China
| | - Wan-Meng Chen
- Institute of Basic Medicine and Forensics Medicine, North Sichuan Medical College, Fu Jiang Road 234, Shunqing District, Nanchong, Sichuan, 637000, China
| | - Meng-Wei Chen
- Institute of Basic Medicine and Forensics Medicine, North Sichuan Medical College, Fu Jiang Road 234, Shunqing District, Nanchong, Sichuan, 637000, China
| | - Ya-Hui Chen
- Institute of Basic Medicine and Forensics Medicine, North Sichuan Medical College, Fu Jiang Road 234, Shunqing District, Nanchong, Sichuan, 637000, China
| | - Jian-Cai Tang
- Institute of Basic Medicine and Forensics Medicine, North Sichuan Medical College, Fu Jiang Road 234, Shunqing District, Nanchong, Sichuan, 637000, China
- Key Laboratory of Metabolic Drugs and Biological Products, Nanchong, China
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Chen WM, Hu QY, Hou W, Chen MW, Chen YH, Tang JC. Nrf3 promotes the proliferation and migration of triple‑negative breast cancer by activating PI3K/AKT/mTOR and epithelial‑mesenchymal transition. Oncol Lett 2023; 26:443. [PMID: 37720674 PMCID: PMC10502936 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2023.14030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 3 (Nrf3) is increasingly implicated in multiple types of cancer; however, its function in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) remains unclear. This study aimed to examine the role of Nrf3 in TNBC. Compared with adjacent normal tissues, TNBC tissues expressed higher levels of Nrf3, and its expression was negatively correlated with survival time. Additionally, Nrf3 knockdown reduced the proliferation and migration of TNBC cells, whereas overexpression of Nrf3 had the opposite effects in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, functional enrichment of TNBC cells overexpressing Nrf3 allowed for the identification of numerous genes and pathways that were altered following Nrf3 overexpression. Further study showed that overexpression of Nrf3 activated the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway and regulated the expression of proteins associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Nrf3 was found to directly bind to p110α promoter regions, as evidenced by luciferase reporter and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. Furthermore, PI3K inhibitors partially decreased the proliferation and migration of the Nrf3 overexpressing TNBC cells. In conclusion, Nrf3 enhances cellular proliferation and migration by activating PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathways, highlighting a novel therapeutic target for TNBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wan-Meng Chen
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Basic Medicine and Forensics Medicine, North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, Sichuan 637000, P.R. China
| | - Qing-Yong Hu
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Basic Medicine and Forensics Medicine, North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, Sichuan 637000, P.R. China
| | - Wei Hou
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Basic Medicine and Forensics Medicine, North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, Sichuan 637000, P.R. China
| | - Meng-Wei Chen
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Basic Medicine and Forensics Medicine, North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, Sichuan 637000, P.R. China
| | - Ya-Hui Chen
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Basic Medicine and Forensics Medicine, North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, Sichuan 637000, P.R. China
| | - Jian-Cai Tang
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Basic Medicine and Forensics Medicine, North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, Sichuan 637000, P.R. China
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