Newcastle disease virus exploits Golgi stress and Golgiphagy to promote ferroptosis

Ferroptosis, characterized by iron-dependent lipid peroxidation, has emerged as a pivotal cell death pathway in various diseases, yet its regulation during viral infection remains elusive. Here, we reveal that Newcastle disease virus (NDV) exploits the Golgi apparatus as a central hub to orchestrate ferroptotic cell death in tumor cells. NDV infection provokes robust Golgi stress and Golgiphagy, leading to the selective degradation of ARF1 (ARF GTPase 1), a GA-resident regulator of redox homeostasis, which in turn triggers a cascade of reactive oxygen species accumulation, lipid peroxidation, and ferroptosis. Mechanistically, we show that this process is dependent on the activation of the Golgi stress response and macroautophagy/autophagy-lysosome pathway. Importantly, inhibition of Golgi stress by exogenous spermine not only alleviates NDV-induced ferroptosis, but also demonstrates antiviral and cytoprotective effects, underscoring the translational potential of targeting the Golgi stress axis. Our findings uncover a previously unappreciated axis of virus-host interaction centering on Golgi stress and ferroptosis and suggest that modulation of organelle-specific stress responses represents a promising therapeutic strategy in both antiviral and cancer contexts.Abbreviations: AMPK: AMP-activated protein kinase; ARF1: ARF GTPase 1; ARF4: ARF GTPase 4; ATG7: autophagy related 7; BFA: brefeldin A; CGAS: cyclic GMP-AMP synthase; CHX: cycloheximide; CQ: chloroquine; CREB3: cAMP responsive element binding protein 3; DFO: deferoxamine; ER: endoplasmic reticulum; Fe²⁺: ferrous ions, GA: Golgi apparatus; GOLGA2/GM130: golgin A2; GPX4: glutathione peroxidase 4; GSH: glutathione; GSR: Golgi stress response; HCMV: human cytomegalovirus; HSV-1: herpes simplex virus 1; Lip-1: Liproxstatin-1; MAP1LC3/LC3: microtubule associated protein 1 light chain 3; MDA: malondialdehyde; mtDNA: mitochondrial DNA; MTOR: mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase; NDV: Newcastle disease virus; NCOA4: nuclear receptor coactivator 4; PUFA: polyunsaturated fatty acid; ROS: reactive oxygen species; Rot: rotenone; SLC7A11: solute carrier family 7 member 11; SERPINH1/HSP47: serpin family H member 1; TFE3: transcription factor binding to IGHM enhancer 3; WT: wild-type.