npj Precision Oncology (Aug 2024)

Interferon signaling and ferroptosis in tumor immunology and therapy

  • Wei Hu,
  • Ziqian Zhao,
  • Jianxin Du,
  • Jie Jiang,
  • Minghao Yang,
  • Maojin Tian,
  • Peiqing Zhao

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41698-024-00668-w
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8, no. 1
pp. 1 – 17

Abstract

Read online

Abstract This study sought to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the impact of the interferon signaling pathway on Ferroptosis in tumor cells and its correlation with CD8 + T cell exhaustion. Using mouse models and single-cell sequencing, the researchers studied the interaction between CD8 + T cells and the interferon signaling pathway. Differential gene analysis revealed key genes involved in CD8 + T cell exhaustion, and their downstream factors were explored using bioinformatics tools. The expression levels of interferon-related genes associated with Ferroptosis were analyzed using data from the TCGA database, and their relevance to tumor tissue Ferroptosis and patients’ prognosis was determined. In vitro experiments were conducted to measure the levels of IFN-γ, MDA, and LPO, as well as tumor cell viability and apoptosis. In vivo validation using a mouse tumor model confirmed the results obtained from the in vitro experiments, highlighting the potential of silencing HSPA6 or DNAJB1 in enhancing the efficacy of PD-1 therapy and inhibiting tumor growth and migration.