Ferroptosis is a pervasive non-apoptotic form of cell death highly relevant in various degenerative diseases and malignancies. The hallmark of ferroptosis is uncontrolled and overwhelming peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids contained in membrane phospholipids, which eventually leads to rupture of the plasma membrane. Ferroptosis is unique in that it is essentially a spontaneous, uncatalyzed chemical process based on perturbed iron and redox homeostasis contributing to the cell death process, but that it is nonetheless modulated by many metabolic nodes that impinge on the cells' susceptibility to ferroptosis. Among the various nodes affecting ferroptosis sensitivity, several have emerged as promising candidates for pharmacological intervention, rendering ferroptosis-related proteins attractive targets for the treatment of numerous currently incurable diseases. Herein, the current members of a Germany-wide research consortium focusing on ferroptosis research, as well as key external experts in ferroptosis who have made seminal contributions to this rapidly growing and exciting field of research, have gathered to provide a comprehensive, state-of-the-art review on ferroptosis. Specific topics include: basic mechanisms, in vivo relevance, specialized methodologies, chemical and pharmacological tools, and the potential contribution of ferroptosis to disease etiopathology and progression. We hope that this article will not only provide established scientists and newcomers to the field with an overview of the multiple facets of ferroptosis, but also encourage additional efforts to characterize further molecular pathways modulating ferroptosis, with the ultimate goal to develop novel pharmacotherapies to tackle the various diseases associated with - or caused by - ferroptosis.
FörderungenDFG (German Research Foundation) NIH NSERC DFG projects Germany's Excellence Strategy German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) FERROPATH Fonds der chemischen Industrie, Physician Scientist Program of the Medical Faculty Heidelberg SMWK German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) Helmholtz Center, Consortium of excellence at University of Antwerp INFLA-MED EU ERC Industrial Research Fund BOF-IMPULS from University of Antwerp, Foundation against cancer GIGG consortia VIB American Cancer Society Bakar Fellows Spark Award Ministry of Science & Technology of the State of Israel Israel Science Foundation JST CREST JSPS Kakenhi National Research Foundation of Korea Seoul National University CRIG Special Research Fund UGent Charcot Foundation VLIRUOS Research Foundation Flanders EOS CD-INFLADIS National Natural Science Foundation of China