The development and malignancy of cancer cells are closely related to the changes of the epigenome.I nt his work, am itochondria-targeted rhenium(I) complex (DFX-Re3), integrating the clinical iron chelating agent deferasirox (DFX), has been designed. By relocating iron to the mitochondria and changing the key metabolic species related to epigenetic modifications, DFX-Re3 can elevate the methylation levels of histone,D NA,a nd RNA. As ac onsequence, DFX-Re3 affects the events related to apoptosis,R NA polymerases,a nd T-cell receptor signaling pathways. Finally, it is shown that DFX-Re3 induces immunogenic apoptotic cell death and exhibits potent antitumor activity in vivo.This study provides an ew approachf or the design of novel epigenetic drugs that can recode the cancer epigenome by intervening in mitochondrial metabolism and iron homeostasis.

The development and malignancy of cancer cells are closely related to the changes of the epigenome.I nt his work, am itochondria-targeted rhenium(I) complex (DFX-Re3), integrating the clinical iron chelating agent deferasirox (DFX), has been designed. By relocating iron to the mitochondria and changing the key metabolic species related to epigenetic modifications, DFX-Re3 can elevate the methylation levels of histone,D NA,a nd RNA. As ac onsequence, DFX-Re3 affects the events related to apoptosis,R NA polymerases,a nd T-cell receptor signaling pathways. Finally, it is shown that DFX-Re3 induces immunogenic apoptotic cell death and exhibits potent antitumor activity in vivo.This study provides an ew approachf or the design of novel epigenetic drugs that can recode the cancer epigenome by intervening in mitochondrial metabolism and iron homeostasis.