About this Research Topic
Iron is an essential nutrient in all mammals, involved in key biological processes, including oxygen transport, mitochondrial respiration, metabolism, detoxification, and immune defense. The ability of iron to alternate between the oxidized form and the reduced form contributes to the formation of free radicals, with an excess leading to lipid peroxidation, increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), oxidative stress, and DNA damage. The accumulation of iron and ROS are linked to various pathologies, including iron overload diseases and cancer. Indeed, cancer cells exhibit an increased iron demand compared to non-cancer cells. Furthermore, pathways of iron uptake, storage, mobilization, trafficking, and regulation are all perturbed in cancer, suggesting that reprogramming of iron metabolism is a central aspect of tumor cell survival. Anemia is frequently observed in many patients with cancer, and iron dyshomeostasis is implicated in numerous types of cancer.
Recent studies have shed light on the role of iron metabolism in cancer stem cells (CSC) and suggest that specific targeting of iron metabolism in CSCs may improve the efficacy of cancer therapy. This iron dependency can make CSC and non-CSC cells more vulnerable to a non-apoptotic form of regulated cell death, referred to as ferroptosis. This cell death process characterized by the iron-dependent accumulation of lipid peroxides is morphologically, biochemically, and genetically different from other well-known modalities of regulated cell death, including apoptosis, necroptosis, various forms of necrosis, and autophagy. In distinct cancer types, the metabolic reprogramming has been linked to an acquired sensitivity to ferroptosis, thus opening new opportunities to treat tumors unresponsive to other therapies.
The activation of ferritinophagy, a specific form of macroautophagy required for the degradation of ferritin, the main cellular iron-storage protein, seems to occur during the early initiation stage of ferroptosis. Recent discoveries have highlighted the importance of transferrin trafficking and ferritinophagy, as critical determinants of ferroptosis sensitivity via an increase in the so-called labile iron pool. Further, iron accumulation is associated with decreased ferritinophagy in senescent cells.
Iron metabolism, inflammation, and immunity are tightly interlinked. Recent data demonstrate that immune checkpoint inhibition stimulates interferon-γ production by CD8+ T cells to kill cancer cells through the induction of ferroptotic cell death. In contrast, a newly developed hypothesis suggests that a ferroptosis-sensitive state may allow cancer cells to generate lipid-derived mediators modulating intra- and intercellular signaling pathways that would lead to growth of the tumor. This theory suggests an inverse correlation between the cellular peroxide tone and immune evasion. Thus, it is essential to explore the molecular mechanism of ferroptosis that inhibits tumor growth as well as the consequence of cancer cell death by ferroptosis, which potentially dampen the antitumor immunity and promote tumor growth.
The aim of this Research Topic is to provide a comprehensive overview of the role of iron in cancer biology, initiation, progression, therapeutic resistance, disease recurrence as well as therapeutic potential. We welcome Original Research and Review Articles focused on, but not limited to, the following topics:
• Cancer modelling
• Biochemical, molecular, genomic, proteomic studies relating to iron metabolism in cancer stem cells
• Pan‐cancer analysis of the iron metabolic landscape
• Clinical studies demonstrating therapeutic interventions against the role of iron in cancer progression
Please note: manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics or computational analysis of public genomic or transcriptomic databases which are not accompanied by validation (independent cohort or biological validation in vitro or in vivo) are out of scope for this section and will not be accepted as part of this Research Topic.
Recent studies have shed light on the role of iron metabolism in cancer stem cells (CSC) and suggest that specific targeting of iron metabolism in CSCs may improve the efficacy of cancer therapy. This iron dependency can make CSC and non-CSC cells more vulnerable to a non-apoptotic form of regulated cell death, referred to as ferroptosis. This cell death process characterized by the iron-dependent accumulation of lipid peroxides is morphologically, biochemically, and genetically different from other well-known modalities of regulated cell death, including apoptosis, necroptosis, various forms of necrosis, and autophagy. In distinct cancer types, the metabolic reprogramming has been linked to an acquired sensitivity to ferroptosis, thus opening new opportunities to treat tumors unresponsive to other therapies.
The activation of ferritinophagy, a specific form of macroautophagy required for the degradation of ferritin, the main cellular iron-storage protein, seems to occur during the early initiation stage of ferroptosis. Recent discoveries have highlighted the importance of transferrin trafficking and ferritinophagy, as critical determinants of ferroptosis sensitivity via an increase in the so-called labile iron pool. Further, iron accumulation is associated with decreased ferritinophagy in senescent cells.
Iron metabolism, inflammation, and immunity are tightly interlinked. Recent data demonstrate that immune checkpoint inhibition stimulates interferon-γ production by CD8+ T cells to kill cancer cells through the induction of ferroptotic cell death. In contrast, a newly developed hypothesis suggests that a ferroptosis-sensitive state may allow cancer cells to generate lipid-derived mediators modulating intra- and intercellular signaling pathways that would lead to growth of the tumor. This theory suggests an inverse correlation between the cellular peroxide tone and immune evasion. Thus, it is essential to explore the molecular mechanism of ferroptosis that inhibits tumor growth as well as the consequence of cancer cell death by ferroptosis, which potentially dampen the antitumor immunity and promote tumor growth.
The aim of this Research Topic is to provide a comprehensive overview of the role of iron in cancer biology, initiation, progression, therapeutic resistance, disease recurrence as well as therapeutic potential. We welcome Original Research and Review Articles focused on, but not limited to, the following topics:
• Cancer modelling
• Biochemical, molecular, genomic, proteomic studies relating to iron metabolism in cancer stem cells
• Pan‐cancer analysis of the iron metabolic landscape
• Clinical studies demonstrating therapeutic interventions against the role of iron in cancer progression
Please note: manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics or computational analysis of public genomic or transcriptomic databases which are not accompanied by validation (independent cohort or biological validation in vitro or in vivo) are out of scope for this section and will not be accepted as part of this Research Topic.
Keywords: iron, iron metabolism, cancer stem cells, ferritinophagy, ferroptosis
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
