Program of Environmental Toxicology, School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang, 110122, China.
Program of Environmental Toxicology, School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang, 110122, China.
Redox Biol. 2022 Aug;54:102389. doi: 10.1016/j.redox.2022.102389. Epub 2022 Jun 30.
The KEAP1-NRF2-ARE signaling pathway plays a central role in mediating the adaptive cellular stress response to oxidative and electrophilic chemicals. This canonical pathway has been extensively studied and reviewed in the past two decades, but rarely was it looked at from a quantitative signaling perspective. Signal amplification, i.e., ultrasensitivity, is crucially important for robust induction of antioxidant genes to appropriate levels that can adequately counteract the stresses. In this review article, we examined a number of well-known molecular events in the KEAP1-NRF2-ARE pathway from a quantitative perspective with a focus on how signal amplification can be achieved. We illustrated, by using a series of mathematical models, that redox-regulated protein sequestration, stabilization, translation, nuclear trafficking, DNA promoter binding, and transcriptional induction - which are embedded in the molecular network comprising KEAP1, NRF2, sMaf, p62, and BACH1 - may generate highly ultrasensitive NRF2 activation and antioxidant gene induction. The emergence and degree of ultrasensitivity depend on the strengths of protein-protein and protein-DNA interaction and protein abundances. A unique, quantitative understanding of signal amplification in the KEAP1-NRF2-ARE pathway will help to identify sensitive targets for the prevention and therapeutics of oxidative stress-related diseases and develop quantitative adverse outcome pathway models to facilitate the health risk assessment of oxidative chemicals.
KEAP1-NRF2-ARE 信号通路在介导细胞对氧化和亲电化学物质的适应性应激反应中起着核心作用。在过去的二十年中,该经典通路已经得到了广泛的研究和综述,但很少从定量信号的角度来看待它。信号放大,即超敏性,对于抗氧化基因的强烈诱导至关重要,使其达到适当的水平,从而能够充分抵消应激。在这篇综述文章中,我们从定量的角度研究了 KEAP1-NRF2-ARE 通路中的许多著名分子事件,重点关注如何实现信号放大。我们通过一系列数学模型来说明,氧化还原调节的蛋白隔离、稳定、翻译、核易位、DNA 启动子结合和转录诱导 - 这些都嵌入在包括 KEAP1、NRF2、sMaf、p62 和 BACH1 的分子网络中 - 可能产生高度超敏的 NRF2 激活和抗氧化基因诱导。超敏性的出现和程度取决于蛋白-蛋白和蛋白-DNA 相互作用以及蛋白丰度的强度。对 KEAP1-NRF2-ARE 通路中信号放大的独特、定量理解将有助于确定氧化应激相关疾病的预防和治疗的敏感靶点,并开发定量不良结局途径模型,以促进氧化化学物质的健康风险评估。