Research Paper Volume 14, Issue 5 pp 2367—2382

Figure 7. CEP290 knockout inhibits tumor growth in vivo. (A, B) The interaction between CEP290 and Nrf2 was analyzed by WB and immunoprecipitation in Hep3B cells. (C) Nrf2 expression in nuclear extracts after CEP290 knockout. (D) Following CEP290 silencing, the protein expression of Nrf2 and the respective downstream members (HO-1, FTH1 and NQO1) were detected by WB, and (E) the protein levels of CEP290 were quantified. (F) Selection of optimal oltipraz dose. (G) Gross appearances of tumors. Male nude mice (six weeks old, n = 5 for each group) were subcutaneously injected with Hep3B and CEP290-KO Hep3B cells (2 × 10⁶) on the right flank. The mouse tumors were collected 2 weeks after implantation. (H) Xenograft tumor sizes were determined in mice bearing tumors. (I) A proposed model of the CEP290/Nrf2 axis activation in HCC. All results are presented as the mean ± SD; **p < 0.01; ***p < 0.001.