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Updated: Jul 15, 2026
Revealing the Ferroptotic Phenotype of Medulloblastoma
Published on: March 15, 2024
DMAMCL induces ferroptosis in neuroblastoma by targeting HMOX1 in MYCN-amplified subtypes whereas targeting STEAP3 in
Yifan Ma1,2, Simeng Zhang1,2, Dongyang Zhang1,2
1Department of Pediatrics, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China.
Objectives:
Neuroblastoma (NB) is a common pediatric extracranial solid tumor. Dimethylaminomicheliolide (DMAMCL), a prodrug of Micheliolide (MCL), shows antitumor activity against NB, but its mechanisms remain unclear. This study investigated the antitumor mechanisms of DMAMCL in NB.
Methods:
Key pathways/genes were identified by RNA-seq and ferroptosis PCR array. Ferroptosis was confirmed by indicators. Mechanisms were investigated using siRNAs, shRNAs, and overexpression plasmids in vitro and in vivo. Direct targets were screened by LiP-MS. Molecular biology experiments elucidated the mechanisms.
Results:
DMAMCL induced ferroptosis in NB in vitro and in vivo, upregulating HMOX1. HMOX1 knockdown attenuated DMAMCL-induced ferroptosis and its overexpression triggered ferroptosis in MYCN-amplified NB cells but not in MYCN-nonamplified cells. DMAMCL-induced ferroptosis via HMOX1 upregulation depended on MYCN levels. Mechanistically, DMAMCL bound to KEAP1 in MYCN-amplified NB cells, increasing nuclear NRF2 and upregulating HMOX1. In MYCN-nonamplified NB cells, DMAMCL upregulated STEAP3, increasing Fe2+ and lipid peroxidation to induce ferroptosis. STEAP3 overexpression induced ferroptosis and suppressed tumor growth.
Disscusion:
DMAMCL induces ferroptosis in NB through MYCN-associated dual pathways, activating the NRF2/HMOX1 axis via KEAP1 binding in MYCN-amplified cells, while upregulating STEAP3 in MYCN-nonamplified cells. This provides new insights for DMAMCL application in treating NB subtypes with different MYCN levels.
