Ferroptosis: A novel therapeutic strategy and mechanism of action in glioma

Genome-Wide Mendelian Randomization Identifies Ferroptosis-Related Drug Targets for Alzheimer's Disease

Background

Alzheimer's disease (AD) currently lacks effective disease-modifying treatments. Recent research suggests that ferroptosis could be a potential therapeutic target. Mendelian randomization (MR) is a widely used method for identifying novel therapeutic targets.

Objective

Employ genetic information to evaluate the causal impact of ferroptosis-related genes on the risk of AD.

Methods

564 ferroptosis-related genes were obtained from FerrDb. We derived genetic instrumental variables for these genes using four brain quantitative trait loci (QTL) and two blood QTL datasets. Summary-data-based Mendelian randomization (SMR) and two-sample MR methods were applied to estimate the causal effects of ferroptosis-related genes on AD. Using extern transcriptomic datasets and triple-transgenic mouse model of AD (3xTg-AD) to further validate the gene targets identified by the MR analysis.

Results

We identified 17 potential AD risk gene targets from GTEx, 13 from PsychENCODE, and 22 from BrainMeta (SMR p < 0.05 and HEIDI test p > 0.05). Six overlapping ferroptosis-related genes associated with AD were identified, which could serve as potential therapeutic targets (PEX10, CDC25A, EGFR, DLD, LIG3, and TRIB3). Additionally, we further pinpointed risk genes or proteins at the blood tissue and pQTL levels. Notably, EGFR demonstrated significant dysregulation in the extern transcriptomic datasets and 3xTg-AD models.

Conclusions

This study provides genetic evidence supporting the potential therapeutic benefits of targeting the six druggable genes for AD treatment, especially for EGFR (validated by transcriptome and 3xTg-AD), which could be useful for prioritizing AD drug development in the field of ferroptosis.

Ferroptosis-Based Therapeutic Strategies toward Precision Medicine for Cancer

Ferroptosis is a type of iron-dependent programmed cell death characterized by the dysregulation of iron metabolism and the accumulation of lipid peroxides. This nonapoptotic mode of cell death is implicated in various physiological and pathological processes. Recent findings have underscored its potential as an innovative strategy for cancer treatment, particularly against recalcitrant malignancies that are resistant to conventional therapies. This article focuses on ferroptosis-based therapeutic strategies for precision cancer treatment, covering the molecular mechanisms of ferroptosis, four major types of ferroptosis inducers and their inhibitory effects on diverse carcinomas, the detection of ferroptosis by fluorescent probes, and their implementation in image-guided therapy. These state-of-the-art tactics have manifested enhanced selectivity and efficacy against malignant carcinomas. Given that the administration of ferroptosis in cancer therapy is still at a burgeoning stage, some major challenges and future perspectives are discussed for the clinical translation of ferroptosis into precision cancer treatment.

High Expression of CDCA7 in the Prognosis of Glioma and Its Relationship with Ferroptosis and Immunity

CDCA7 is a copy number amplification gene that promotes tumorigenesis. However, the clinical relevance and potential mechanisms of CDCA7 in glioma are unclear. CDCA7 expression level data were obtained from the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databases, and the enriched genes and related signaling pathways were explored. Data on genes in CDCA7-related signaling pathways and nine marker genes of ferroptosis were retrieved and a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis was performed. The correlation of CDCA7 to ferroptosis and tumor infiltration of 22 kinds of human immune cells and the association between CDCA7 and immune checkpoint molecules were analyzed. CDCA7 was significantly increased in gliomas in comparison to healthy tissues. Gene Ontology (GO) and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) revealed the impact of CDCA7 expression on multiple biological processes and signaling pathways. CDCA7 may affect ferroptosis by interacting with genes in the cell cycle pathway and P53 pathway. The increase in CDCA7 was positively correlated with multiple ferroptosis suppressor genes and genes involved in tumor-infiltrating immune cells and immune checkpoint molecules in glioma. CDCA7 can be a new prognostic factor for glioma, which is closely related to ferroptosis, tumor immune cell infiltration, and immune checkpoint.

High-Dose Selenium Induces Ferroptotic Cell Death in Ovarian Cancer

Selenium is a promising multi-target chemotherapeutic agent with controversial clinical results. Hence, reassessing the anticancer effects of Se is necessary to clearly understand the potential of high-dose selenium in cancer treatment. Here, we observed that high-dose sodium selenite (SS) significantly decreased the proliferation and increased the death of ovarian cancer cells, mediated by an increased generation of reactive oxygen species. Notably, high-dose SS decreased the levels of glutathione peroxidase (GPx), a selenoprotein with antioxidant properties, without altering other selenoproteins. Furthermore, high-dose SS triggered lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis, a type of iron-dependent cell death, due to dysregulated GPx4 pathways. We demonstrated that intravenous high-dose SS significantly reduced the tumor growth and weight in SKOV3-bearing mice. Consistent with our in vitro results, mice with SKOV3 cells treated with high-dose SS showed decreased GPx4 expression in tumors. Therefore, we highlight the significance of high-dose SS as a potential chemotherapeutic agent for ovarian cancer. High-dose SS-mediated ferroptotic therapy integrating glutathione depletion and ROS generation is a promising strategy for cancer therapy.