An attempt to identify Nrf2 target genes in cancer cells revealed that Nrf2 directly activates the genes whose products are involved in the pentose phosphate pathway and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) production, such as glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (PGD), transketolase (TKT) and transaldolase 1 (TALDO1), and malic enzyme 1 (ME1; Figure 8). Here, PGD is linked to cancer.