Copper induces cystine/glutamate antiporter SLC7A11 through the activation of Nrf2 and Atox1 pathways

, the nuclear translocation of Nrf2 was observed, and knockdown of Nrf2 significantly suppressed the induction of SLC7A11. Given that the Cu chaperone, antioxidant-1 (Atox1), functions as a Cu-dependent transcription factor, the role of Atox1 in the expression of SLC7A11 was further investigated. Like the effects of Nrf2 knockdown, Atox1 was found to play a pivotal role in the Cu-mediated induction of SLC7A11. Our findings indicate that intratumoral Cu influences the expression of SLC7A11 and may play a role in tumor progression.