Cap-independent Nrf2 translation is part of a lipoic acid-stimulated detoxification stress response.

Abstract Little is known about either the basal or stimulated homeostatic mechanisms regulating nuclear tenure of Nf-e2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), a transcription factor that mediates expression of over 200 detoxification genes. Our data show that stress-induced nuclear Nrf2 accumulation is largely from de novo protein synthesis, rather than translocation from a pre-existing cytoplasmic pool. HepG2 cells were used to monitor nuclear Nrf2 24 h following treatment with the dithiol micronutrient ( R )-α-lipoic acid (LA; 50 μM), or vehicle. LA caused a ≥ 2.5-fold increase in nuclear Nrf2 within 1 h. However, pretreating cells with cycloheximide (50 μg/ml) inhibited LA-induced Nrf2 nuclear accumulation by 94%. Providing cells with the mTOR inhibitor, rapamycin, decreased basal Nrf2 levels by 84% after 4 h, but LA overcame this inhibition. LA-mediated de novo protein translation was confirmed using HepG2 cells transfected with a bicistronic construct containing an internal ribosome entry sequence (IRES) for Nrf2, with significant (P