Antioxidant response gene expression in the bronchial airway epithelial cells of smokers at risk for lung cancer

Prior microarray studies of smokers at high risk for lung cancer have demonstrated that heterogeneity in bronchial airway epithelial cell gene expression response to smoking can serve as an early diagnostic biomarker for lung cancer. This study examines the relationship between gene expression variation and genetic variation in a central molecular pathway (NRF2-mediated antioxidant response) associated with smoking exposure and lung cancer. We assessed global gene expression in histologically normal airway epithelial cells obtained at bronchoscopy from smokers who developed lung cancer (SC, n=20), smokers without lung cancer (SNC, n=24), and never smokers (NS, n=8). Functional enrichment showed that the NRF2-mediated antioxidant response pathway differed significantly among these groups.

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Wang X, Chorley BN, Pittman GS, Kleeberger SR, Brothers J 2nd, Liu G, Spira A, Bell DA