Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41339438›Full record

ArticleNature communications2025

The E2F1-HMGCR axis promotes ferroptosis resistance in immune refractory tumor cells.

Sung Wook Son, Hyo-Jung Lee, NaNa Kang, Seongjae Bae, Eunho Cho, Heeju Kwon, Da-Young Yoon, Chaeleen Lee, Seungho Lee, Min Kyu Son and 16 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

26 authors.

Sung Wook Son *Department of Cell biology, Daegu Catholic University School of Medicine, Daegu, South Korea.
Hyo-Jung Lee *Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Korea university College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
NaNa KangDepartment of Cell biology, Daegu Catholic University School of Medicine, Daegu, South Korea.
Seongjae BaeDepartment of Cell biology, Daegu Catholic University School of Medicine, Daegu, South Korea.
Eunho ChoDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Korea university College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
Heeju KwonDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Korea university College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
Da-Young YoonDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Korea university College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9985-2945
Chaeleen LeeDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Korea university College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
Seungho LeeDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Korea university College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
Min Kyu SonDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Korea university College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
Jisu ChaeDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Korea university College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
Suyeon KimDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Korea university College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3691-7692
Se Jin OhDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Korea university College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9591-5267
Younji SimDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Korea university College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0002-4988-8912
Kyung-Mi LeeDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Korea university College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5378-9258
Cassian YeeDepartment of Melanoma Medical Oncology and Immunology, U.T. MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4429-7307
Seon Rang WooDepartment of Cell biology, Daegu Catholic University School of Medicine, Daegu, South Korea.
Yun-Jeong JeongDepartment of Cell biology, Daegu Catholic University School of Medicine, Daegu, South Korea.
Hee-Jung ChoiDepartment of Cell biology, Daegu Catholic University School of Medicine, Daegu, South Korea.
Jong-Young KwakDepartment of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Ajou University, Suwon, South Korea.
Eun-Woo LeeMetabolic Regulation Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Daejeon, South Korea.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5156-0003
Jinuk ParkDepartment of Cell biology, Daegu Catholic University School of Medicine, Daegu, South Korea.
Sang Gyu KwakDepartment of Medical Statistics, Daegu Catholic University School of Medicine, Daegu, South Korea.
Young-Chae ChangDepartment of Cell biology, Daegu Catholic University School of Medicine, Daegu, South Korea. ycchang@cu.ac.kr.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2667-7303
Tae Woo KimDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Korea university College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea. twkim0421@korea.ac.kr.
Kwon-Ho SongDepartment of Cell biology, Daegu Catholic University School of Medicine, Daegu, South Korea. khsong@cu.ac.kr.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6547-1143

Funding

National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) NRF-2022R1A4A5032702National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) RS-2021-NR061924National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) RS-2021-NR062038National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) RS-2022-NR067525National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) RS-2023-00280965National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) RS-2023-NR077043National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) RS-2025-02306308
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

During cancer immunoediting, cancer cells deregulate cell death executioner mechanisms to escape immunotherapy-induced antitumor immunity. Ferroptosis, a type of regulated necrosis triggered by lipid peroxidation, plays a pivotal role in the anti-tumor activity of T cell-based immunotherapies; however, mechanisms for the modulation of ferroptosis in immune-refractory tumor cells are unclear. In this study, using preclinical models of immune refractory tumors obtained following the course of immunoediting by PD-1 blockade and adoptive T cell therapy (ACT), we find that T cell-based immunotherapy drives the development of ferroptosis resistance of tumor cells. In this process, E2F1 is upregulated by immunotherapy and it in turn binds to the promoter of the HMGCR gene to upregulate HMGCR, thereby contributing to the resistance to ferroptosis. Notably, HMGCR inhibition renders immune-refractory tumor cells susceptible to ACT and PD-1 blockade. Thus, our results reveal a mechanism by which cancer cells modulate ferroptosis to acquire resistance to immunotherapy and implicate the E2F1-HMGCR axis as a central molecular target for controlling ferroptosis resistance of immune-refractory cancer.

Indexed as

E2F1 Transcription FactorFerroptosisHydroxymethylglutaryl CoA ReductasesNeoplasmsAnimalsCell Line, TumorDrug Resistance, NeoplasmFemaleGene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticHumansImmunotherapyImmunotherapy, AdoptiveMiceProgrammed Cell Death 1 ReceptorE2F1 protein, humanE2F1 Transcription FactorHMGCR protein, humanHydroxymethylglutaryl CoA ReductasesProgrammed Cell Death 1 Receptor

Identifiers

PMID41339438
PMCPMC12675509

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.