Experimental and Molecular Medicine (Feb 2024)

Helicobacter pylori CagA-mediated ether lipid biosynthesis promotes ferroptosis susceptibility in gastric cancer

  • Yanmei Peng,
  • Xuetao Lei,
  • Qingbin Yang,
  • Guofan Zhang,
  • Sixiao He,
  • Minghao Wang,
  • Ruoyu Ling,
  • Boyang Zheng,
  • Jiayong He,
  • Xinhua Chen,
  • Fengping Li,
  • Qiming Zhou,
  • Liying Zhao,
  • Gengtai Ye,
  • Guoxin Li

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s12276-024-01167-5
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 56, no. 2
pp. 441 – 452

Abstract

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Abstract Helicobacter pylori, particularly cytotoxin-associated gene A (CagA)-positive strains, plays a key role in the progression of gastric cancer (GC). Ferroptosis, associated with lethal lipid peroxidation, has emerged to play an important role in malignant and infectious diseases, but the role of CagA in ferroptosis in cancer cells has not been determined. Here, we report that CagA confers GC cells sensitivity to ferroptosis both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, CagA promotes the synthesis of polyunsaturated ether phospholipids (PUFA-ePLs), which is mediated by increased expression of alkylglycerone phosphate synthase (AGPS) and 1-acylglycerol-3-phosphate O-acyltransferase 3 (AGPAT3), leading to susceptibility to ferroptosis. This susceptibility is mediated by activation of the MEK/ERK/SRF pathway. SRF is a crucial transcription factor that increases AGPS transcription by binding to the AGPS promoter region. Moreover, the results demonstrated that CagA-positive cells are more sensitive to apatinib than are CagA-negative cells, suggesting that detecting the H. pylori CagA status may aid patient stratification for treatment with apatinib.