A mitochondrial antioxidant axis fuels iron addiction in colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) cells accumulate iron to fuel proliferation yet paradoxically resist its toxicity. Jain et al. reveal that heme stabilizes succinate dehydrogenase subunit C, sustaining complex II-dependent coenzyme Q reduction and its redistribution to the plasma membrane, enabling CRC cells to buffer oxidative stress and iron-induced cell death.