Updated project metadata. As an essential micronutrient element in organisms, copper controls a host of fundamental cellular functions. Recently, copper-dependent cell growth and proliferation have been defined as "cuproplasia". Conversely, “cuproptosis” represents copper-dependent cell death, a nonapoptotic manner. So far, a series of copper ionophores have been developed to kill cancer cells. However, the biological response mechanism of copper uptake still lacks systematic analysis. Based on quantitative proteomics, we revealed the crosstalk between copper stress and cuproptosis in cancer cells. Copper stress not only couples with cuproptosis, but also leads to reactive oxygen species (ROS) stress, oxidative damage and cell cycle arrest. In cancer cells, a feedback cytoprotection mechanism involving cuproptosis mediators was discovered. During copper treatment, the activation of glutamine transporters and the loss of Fe-S cluster proteins are the facilitators and results of cuproptosis, respectively. Through copper depletion, glutathione (GSH) blocks the cuproptosis process, rescues the activation of glutamine transporters, and prevents the loss of Fe-S cluster proteins, expect for protecting cancer cells from apoptosis, protein degradation and oxidative damage. Our results are significative for understanding cuproptosis process and developing novel anticancer reagents based on cuproptosis.