Superfund Research Program

Zhang’s work has been continuously supported by NIEHS, including a ONES grant, several R01s, and a RIVER R35 grant. (Photo courtesy of Steve McCaw / NIEHS)

A protein called NRF2, which controls a protective response against oxidative stress, may also promote disease if it is activated for extended periods of time, according to Donna Zhang, Ph.D., during a September 10 Distinguished Lecture at NIEHS.

Zhang, a researcher with the NIEHS-funded University of Arizona Superfund Research Program Center, has spent her career uncovering the contradictory roles of NRF2 in preventing and promoting disease. For example, she has found that NRF2 can make cancer cells more resilient.

“I was the very first one to say NRF2 is not always good,” said Zhang. “In normal cells, it provides valuable protection, but in cancer cells it can enhance resistance to chemotherapy. NRF2 is involved in every aspect of cancer.”

Zhang is also interested in how the protein shapes the body’s response to arsenic exposure. Her team showed that prolonged exposure to arsenic led to chronically elevated levels of NRF2, which activated genes that influence glucose metabolism and the encouraged the development of type 2 diabetes.

To learn more, see the NIEHS Environmental Factor Newsletter.