Glutathione reductase deficiency potentiates the immunogenicity of ferroptosis and cuproptosis via amplified reactive oxygen species accumulation and cGAS-STING pathway activation.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Cancer remains a major therapeutic challenge due to drug resistance and metastasis, processes driven by oxidative stress and redox imbalance. Targeting this vulnerability through ferroptosis (iron-dependent lipid peroxidation) and cuproptosis (copper-driven mitochondrial dysfunction), two ROS-mediated cell death pathways, offers a promising therapeutic strategy. However, clinical translation is hindered by incomplete understanding of their redox regulation and limited immunogenicity. METHODS: A genome-wide CRISPR knockout screen was performed to identify key regulators of ferroptosis. Genetic depletion or pharmacological inhibition of candidate genes was evaluated across multiple cancer cell lines for sensitivity to ferroptosis inducer RSL3 and the cuproptosis inducer elesclomol (Es). Antitumor efficacy was assessed in xenograft, orthotopic, metastatic, and syngeneic mouse models, alone or combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Mechanistic studies also examined ROS production, mitochondrial stress, mitochondrial DNA release, cGAS-STING activation, and immune responses within the tumor microenvironment. RESULTS: Glutathione reductase (GSR), a central enzyme maintaining reduced glutathione (GSH) homeostasis, was identified as the top suppressor of ferroptosis. GSR knockout or pharmacological inhibition markedly sensitized diverse cancer cell lines to RSL3-induced ferroptosis, while GSR overexpression conferred resistance. Strikingly, GSR depletion also enhanced sensitivity to cuproptosis triggered by the copper ionophore Es. In multiple in vivo tumor models, GSR inhibition synergizes with RSL3 or Es to suppress tumor growth, inhibit lung metastasis, and prolong survival. Mechanistically, GSR deficiency amplified ROS production, induced mitochondrial stress, and triggered the cytosolic mitochondrial DNA release under ferroptotic or cuproptotic stress, activating the cGAS-STING pathway in vitro and in vivo. This increased inflammatory cytokine production, promoted immunogenic cell death, and enhanced the release of damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), including HMGB1. Together, GSR inhibition combined with a ferroptosis or cuproptosis inducer transformed the tumor microenvironment into a highly immune stimulatory state, thereby enhancing the efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade through increased dendritic cell activation and T-cell infiltration and activation. CONCLUSIONS: GSR represents a key molecular node connecting and modulating ferroptosis and cuproptosis through redox regulation. Targeting GSR amplifies ROS-mediated immunogenic cell death, triggers cGAS-STING activation in cancer cells, and enhances the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy, providing a promising redox-based therapeutic strategy.