FIGURE 11.
Nrf2 and p62 play a critical role in cadmium-induced carcinogenesis. BEAS-2B cells were exposed to cadmium (0.5 μm) for either 4 weeks or 5 months. The cells were harvested each week or month, and the expression levels of p62, Nrf2, Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, catalase, SOD, and LC3 were measured by Western blot (A and B). BEAS-2B cells exposed to cadmium for 2 months were injected (1 × 106 cells/site) subcutaneously into 6-week-old male athymic nude mice. After 4 months, each tumor was dissected, and the tumor tissues were lysed for Western blot analysis (C). In addition, cadmium-transformed BEAS-2B cells were transfected with siRNA specific for either Nrf2 or p62, and then a soft agar assay (D) and clonal assay (E) were performed. The results are shown as the mean ± S.E. (error bars) in three independent experiments. **, p < 0.01; ***, p < 0.001 versus the vehicle control cells (ANOVA, Scheffe's test). Actin was used as an internal control.