NRF2 connects Src tyrosine kinase to ferroptosis resistance in glioblastoma

Abstract

ABSTRACTGlioblastoma (GBM) is a severe brain tumor characterized by an extremely poor survival rate of patients. GBM cancer cells escape to standard therapeutic protocols consisting of combination of ionizing radiation (IR) and alkylating drugs that trigger DNA damage, by rewiring of signaling pathways. In recent years, the upregulation of factors that counteract ferroptosis has been highlighted as a major driver of cancer resistance to IR, although the molecular connection between the activation of oncogenic signaling and the modulation of ferroptosis has not been clarified yet.Here we provide the first evidence for a molecular connection between the constitutive activation of tyrosine kinases and resistance to ferroptosis. Src tyrosine kinase, a central hub on which Receptor Tyrosine Kinases deregulated signaling converge in cancer, leads to the stabilization and activation of NRF2 pathway, thus promoting resistance to IR-induced ferroptosis. These data suggest that the upregulation of Src-NRF2 axis may represent a vulnerability for combined strategies that, by targeting ferroptosis resistance, enhance radiation sensitivity in glioblastoma.