The Involvement ofNRF2in Lung Cancer

Abstract

Nuclear factor, erythroid-derived 2, like 2 (NRF2) is a key regulator of antioxidants and cellular stress responses. The role ofNRF2in pulmonary neoplasia, a diverse disease for which few biomarkers exist, is complicated and appears to depend on several main factors including the existence of activating mutations inNRF2and/or loss of function mutations inKEAP1and the stage of carcinogenesis studied, particularly in the mouse models tested. Therapeutic strategies for lung cancer targetingNRF2have observed mixed results, both anti- and protumorigenic effects; however, these differences seem to reflect the mutation status ofNRF2orKEAP1. In this paper, we will discuss the studies on humanNRF2and the mechanisms proposed, several mouse models using various mice deficient inNRF2, as well as xenograft models, and the chemotherapeutic strategies using theNRF2pathway.