Glutaredoxin 3 (GLRX3) confers a fusion oncogene-dependent vulnerability to Ewing sarcoma

Ewing sarcoma (EwS) is a highly aggressive bone and soft-tissue associated cancer for which there are no effective targeted therapeutics available. Genetically, EwS is driven by aberrantly active EWSR1::ETS fusion transcription factors, most commonly EWSR1::FLI1. Despite their unique expression in EwS, all attempts to effectively target these fusion oncoproteins clinically were not yet successful, wherefore alternative targets are required.

Here, we functionally characterize the evolutionarily conserved oxidative stress regulator glutaredoxin 3 (GLRX3) as a EwS-specific and EWSR1::FLI1-dependent vulnerability. Through integration of transcriptome-profiling, conditional drug screens in 3D cultures, and functional experiments, we discover that GLRX3 promotes EwS growth in vitro and in vivo, and that it has a key role in mitigation of oxidative stress and maintenance of iron homeostasis. These GLRX3 functions can be exploited in both GLRX3-high and -low expressing EwS cells by targeted therapeutics including CDK4/6 inhibitors and inducers of apoptotic and ferroptotic cell death. Collectively, our results exemplify how the interplay of an evolutionarily conserved oxidative stress regulator with a dominant oncogene can promote malignancy but provide opportunities for predictive diagnostics and personalized therapy.