Mapping the genetic landscape of iron metabolism uncovers the SETD2 methyltransferase as a modulator of iron flux

Cellular iron levels must be tightly regulated to ensure sufficient iron for essential enzymatic functions while avoiding the harmful generation of toxic species. Here, to better understand how iron levels are controlled, we carry out genome-wide mutagenesis screens in human cells. Alongside mapping known components of iron sensing, we determine the relative contributions of iron uptake, iron recycling, ferritin breakdown, and mitochondrial flux in controlling the labile iron pool. We also identify SETD2, a histone methyltransferase, as a chromatin modifying enzyme that controls intracellular iron availability through ferritin breakdown. Functionally, we show that SETD2 inhibition or cancer-associated SETD2 mutations render cells iron deficient, thereby driving resistance to ferroptosis and potentially explaining how some tumors evade antitumoral immunity.