An iron-regulated methionine redox axis governs adipose browning and cancer cachexia.

An iron-dependent methionine redox pathway is essential for adipose browning and influences cachexia progression in mouse models.

• Why it matters: Adipose browning and atrophy are early, critical events in cachexia, a lethal metabolic disorder affecting nearly half of cancer patients, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.
• What they did: The study used human-derived specimens and mouse models to identify an iron-dependent pathway involving MSRA that initiates adipose browning through adrenergic stimulation and iron-induced enzyme activation.
• The result: Deleting MsrA impairs adipose browning, reduces cachexia severity, and extends survival in tumor-bearing mice, highlighting the β3 adrenergic receptor-iron-MSRA axis as a potential clinical target.