NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), a master regulator of antioxidant genes in animals, has been associated with the resistance of cancer cells to several cytotoxic chemotherapeutics. Bortezomib, a reversible inhibitor of the 26S proteasome, is a novel class anti-cancer therapeutics approved for the treatment of refractory multiple myeloma. However, the molecular mechanism of drug-resistance remains elusive. In the present study, bortezomib sensitivity has been investigated in Nrf2 knockdown ovarian cancer cells. When Nrf2 expression is stably repressed using interfering RNA expression, bortezomib-induced apoptosis and cell death were significantly enhanced compared to nonspecific RNA control cells. Knockdown cells showed elevated expression in the catalytic subunit PSMB5, PSMB6, and PSMB7 compared to the control, and failed to induce heme oxygenase-1 expression following bortezomib treatment. These indicate that differential proteasome levels and altered expression of stress-response genes could be underlying mechanisms of bortezomib sensitization in Nrf2-inhibited ovarian cancer cells.