Oxidative and electrophilic stresses are sensed by Keap1, which activates Nrf2 to achieve cytoprotection by regulating the expression of drug-metabolizing and antioxidative stress enzymes/proteins. Because oxidative and electrophilic stresses cause many diseases, including cancer, we hypothesized that an abnormality in the Nrf2-Keap1 system may facilitate the growth of cancer cells. We sequenced the KEAP1 gene of 65 Japanese patients with lung cancer and identified five nonsynonymous somatic mutations at a frequency of 8%. We also identified two nonsynonymous somatic KEAP1 gene mutations and two lung cancer cell lines expressing KEAP1 at reduced levels. In lung cancer cells, low Keap1 activity (due to mutations or low-level expression) led to nuclear localization and constitutive activation of Nrf2. The latter resulted in constitutive expression of cytoprotective genes encoding multidrug resistance pumps, phase II detoxifying enzymes, and antioxidative stress enzymes/proteins. Up-regulation of these target genes in lung cancer cells led to cisplatin resistance. Nrf2 activation also stimulated growth of lung cancer-derived cell lines expressing KEAP1 at low levels and in mutant cell lines and in Keap1-null mouse embryonic fibroblasts under homeostatic conditions. Thus, inhibition of NRF2 may provide new therapeutic approaches in lung cancers with activation of Nrf2. [Cancer Res 2008;68(5):1303-9]

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The clinical treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) requires not only an improvement of airflow by bronchodilation but also the suppression of emphysema by controlling inflammation. Here we screen a compound library consisting of clinically used drugs for their ability to prevent elastase-induced airspace enlargement in mice. We show that intratracheal administration or inhalation of mepenzolate bromide, a muscarinic antagonist used to treat gastrointestinal disorders, decreases the severity of elastase-induced airspace enlargement and respiratory dysfunction. Although mepenzolate bromide shows bronchodilatory activity, most other muscarinic antagonists do not improve elastase-induced pulmonary disorders. Apart from suppressing elastase-induced pulmonary inflammatory responses and the production of superoxide anions, mepenzolate bromide reduces the level of cigarette smoke-induced airspace enlargement and respiratory dysfunction. Based on these results, we propose that mepenzolate bromide may be an effective therapeutic for the treatment of COPD due to its anti-inflammatory and bronchodilatory activities.

Simian retroviruses closely related to human T-cell leukemia virus (HTLV) were isolated by establishing virus-producing lymphoid cell lines from 7 species of non-human primates. By co-cultivation with human umbilical cord-blood cells and/or in the presence of interleukin-2, lymphoid cell lines were successfully established from the chimpanzee. African green monkey, pig-tailed macaque, red-faced macaque, Formosan monkey, Japanese monkey and bonnet monkey that had antibodies against HTLV antigens. These cell lines reacted with human sera of ATL patients and monoclonal antibodies against p19 and p24 of HTLV antigens. Cellular DNAs contained the provirus sequences homologous to HTLV-I by Southern blot hybridization. Moreover, they produced extracellular type-C virus particles and RNA-dependent DNA polymerase. All of these lymphoid line cells had Tac antigen, interleukin-2 receptor, and those of chimpanzee and red-faced macaque had helper/induced T-cell markers, while those derived from African green monkey had suppressor/cytotoxic T-cell markers. Furthermore, simian HTLV-related viruses of pig-tailed macaque, red-faced macaque and Japanese monkey were transmitted to human lymphocytes on co-cultivation.