Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42616878›Full record

ArticleScience advances2026

HMOX1 controls a heme-ferritin switch that protects cells from ferroptosis.

Izadora de Souza, Izabela Amélia Marques Andrade, Florencio Porto Freitas, Ana Beatriz da Silva Teixeira, Maria Carolina Clares Ramalho, Karoline Almeida Lima, Ancely Ferreira Dos Santos, Werner Schmitz, Gholamreza Fazeli, Clarissa Ribeiro Reily Rocha and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Science advances, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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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

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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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

11 authors.

Izadora de SouzaDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Oncology, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil.ORCID 0000-0002-6935-7521
Izabela Amélia Marques AndradeDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Oncology, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil.ORCID 0000-0003-1467-9491
Florencio Porto FreitasRudolf Virchow Zentrum (RVZ), Center for Integrative and Translational Bioimaging, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-0369-4488
Ana Beatriz da Silva TeixeiraDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Oncology, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil.ORCID 0000-0003-2659-6714
Maria Carolina Clares RamalhoDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Oncology, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil.ORCID 0000-0001-7122-6152
Karoline Almeida LimaDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Oncology, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil.ORCID 0000-0003-0889-155X
Ancely Ferreira Dos SantosRudolf Virchow Zentrum (RVZ), Center for Integrative and Translational Bioimaging, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-4985-6187
Werner SchmitzDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Theodor Boveri Institute, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-0485-7303
Gholamreza FazeliRudolf Virchow Zentrum (RVZ), Center for Integrative and Translational Bioimaging, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-1367-1941
Clarissa Ribeiro Reily RochaDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Oncology, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil.ORCID 0009-0002-7090-0832
José Pedro Friedmann AngeliRudolf Virchow Zentrum (RVZ), Center for Integrative and Translational Bioimaging, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-7706-1379

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Modulating the intracellular labile iron pool (LIP) has emerged as a promising strategy to induce ferroptosis in cancer cells, offering a way to overcome resistance to apoptosis-based therapies. One of the main contributors to LIP is heme catabolism mediated by heme oxygenase-1 (HMOX1), which promotes ferroptosis sensitivity by releasing free iron. Beyond its role as an iron donor, heme can influence diverse proteins and signaling pathways that drive tumor progression, but how heme regulates ferroptosis remains poorly understood. Here, we uncover a paradoxical, protective function of heme in the absence of HMOX1 activity. When HMOX1 is inactive, heme becomes stabilized, leading to ferritin up-regulation, suppression of ferroptosis, and rescue of cell death induced by both pharmacological and genetic inhibition of GPX4. Our findings reveal an unrecognized heme-HMOX1-ferritin axis that controls ferroptosis sensitivity. Targeting this pathway may offer a new therapeutic strategy to modulate ferroptosis in cancer.

Indexed as

FerritinsFerroptosisHemeHeme Oxygenase-1AnimalsCell Line, TumorHumansIronMicePhospholipid Hydroperoxide Glutathione PeroxidaseSignal TransductionFerritinsHemeHeme Oxygenase-1HMOX1 protein, humanIronPhospholipid Hydroperoxide Glutathione Peroxidase

Identifiers

PMID42616878
PMCPMC13488908

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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.