EGFR regulates iron homeostasis to promote cancer growth through redistribution of transferrin receptor 1

• EGFR interacts with TfR1 in a kinase-dependent manner.
• EGFR kinase activity maintains cell surface TfR1 expression.
• EGFR kinase activity affects cellular iron homeostasis through TfR1.
• EGFR activation is positively correlated with membrane TfR1 and iron expression in NSCLC patients.

Dysregulation in iron metabolism can lead to a wide range of diseases including cancer. Iron-regulatory proteins (IRPs) and iron responsive elements (IREs) have been established as post-transcriptional regulators of intracellular iron homeostasis. The roles of other pathways involved in this process, however, remain largely unknown. Here we report that epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), an oncogenic driver, binds to and regulates the subcellular distribution of transferrin receptor 1(TfR1) through its tyrosine kinase activity and thus is required for cellular iron import. Inactivation of EGFR reduces the cell surface TfR1 expression, which leads to decreased iron import due to impaired TfR1-mediated iron uptake. This damaged iron assimilation results in cell cycle arrest and growth inhibition, which can be partially rescued by non-Tf-bound iron supplements. Evaluation of non-small cell lung cancer samples reveals a positive correlation between EGFR activation and membrane TfR1 expression. Our findings uncover a new role of EGFR in modulating cellular iron homeostasis through redistribution of TfR1, which is essential for cancer development and progression.