Iron Loading and Overloading due to Ineffective Erythropoiesis

Erythropoiesis describes the hematopoietic process of cell proliferation and differentiation that results in the production of mature circulating erythrocytes. Adult humans produce 200 billion erythrocytes daily, and approximately 1 billion iron molecules are incorporated into the hemoglobin contained within each erythrocyte. Thus, iron usage for the hemoglobin production is a primary regulator of plasma iron supply and demand. In many anemias, additional sources of iron from diet and tissue stores are needed to meet the erythroid demand. Among a subset of anemias that arise from ineffective erythropoiesis, iron absorption and accumulation in the tissues increases to levels that are in excess of erythropoiesis demand even in the absence of transfusion. The mechanisms responsible for iron overloading due to ineffective erythropoiesis are not fully understood. Based upon data that is currently available, it is proposed in this review that loading and overloading of iron can be regulated by distinct or combined mechanisms associated with erythropoiesis. The concept of erythroid regulation of iron is broadened to include both physiological and pathological hepcidin suppression in cases of ineffective erythropoiesis

Slit3 regulates cell motility through Rac/Cdc42 activation in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophages

AbstractThree slit genes, slit1 to slit3, have been cloned to date. Slit1 and slit2 act as chemorepellent factors for axon guidance. Slit3 is involved in the formation of the diaphragm and kidney during embryogenesis. However, its molecular function remains unclear. We found that slit3 expression was induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulation in macrophages and that it was localized in the mitochondria and along the plasma membrane. Silencing of slit3 expression by RNA interference reduced cell motility and Rac/Cdc42 activation. These results suggest that slit3 functions as an intracellular signaling molecule for cell motility as part of the LPS-induced signaling cascade

Liver fluke granulin promote extracellular vesicle-mediated crosstalk and cellular microenvironment conducive to cholangiocarcinoma

Crosstalk between malignant and neighboring cells contributes to tumor growth. In East Asia, infection with the liver fluke is a major risk factor for cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). The liver fluke Opisthorchis viverrini secretes a growth factor termed liver fluke granulin, a homologue of the human progranulin, which contributes significantly to biliary tract fibrosis and morbidity. Here, extracellular vesicle (EV)-mediated transfer of mRNAs from human cholangiocytes to naïve recipient cells was investigated following exposure to liver fluke granulin. To minimize the influence of endogenous progranulin, its cognate gene was inactivated using CRISPR/Cas9-based gene knock-out. Several progranulin-depleted cell lines, termed ΔhuPGRN-H69, were established. These lines exhibited >80% reductions in levels of specific transcript and progranulin, both in gene-edited cells and within EVs released by these cells. Profiles of extracellular vesicle RNAs (evRNA) from ΔhuPGRN-H69 for CCA-associated characteristics revealed a paucity of transcripts for estrogen- and Wnt-signaling pathways, peptidase inhibitors and tyrosine phosphatase related to cellular processes including oncogenic transformation. Several CCA-specific evRNAs including MAPK/AKT pathway members were induced by exposure to liver fluke granulin. By comparison, estrogen, Wnt/PI3K and TGF signaling and other CCA pathway mRNAs were upregulated in wild type H69 cells exposed to liver fluke granulin. Of these, CCA-associated evRNAs modified the CCA microenvironment in naïve cells co-cultured with EVs from ΔhuPGRN-H69 cells exposed to liver fluke granulin, and induced translation of MAPK phosphorylation related-protein in naïve recipient cells in comparison with control recipient cells. Exosome-mediated crosstalk in response to liver fluke granulin promoted a CCA-specific program through MAPK pathway which, in turn, established a CCA-conducive disposition

Programmed genome editing of the omega-1 ribonuclease of the blood fluke, Schistosoma mansoni

Host-parasite interactio

A novel aptamer-based small RNA delivery platform and its application to cancer therapy

Major challenges such as nuclease degradation, rapid renal clearance, non-specific delivery, poor cellular uptake and inflammatory response have limited the clinical application of small RNA-mediated gene silencing. To overcome these challenges, we designed a novel targeting small RNA delivery platform comprising of three oligonucleotides: (1) a guide RNA sequence, (2) part of a passenger sequence linked to a DNA aptamer via a PEG linker, and (3) another passenger sequence conjugated to cholesterol, which assemble through complementary base pair annealing. Remarkably, in the presence of magnesium, this molecule self-assembled into a nanoparticle with a hydrophobic cholesterol core, hydrophilic RNA oligonucleotide shell and PEG-linked DNA aptamer flare. The nanoparticles conferred protection to the RNA oligonucleotides against nuclease degradation, which increased bioavailability, and reduced systemic inflammatory responses. The aptamer allowed targeted delivery of RNA therapeutics through cell-specific surface markers, and once inside the cell, the nanoparticles induced lysosomal leakage that released the RNA oligonucleotides into the cytosol to achieve gene silencing. We created a c-Kit-targeting miR-26a delivery particle that specifically accumulated in c-Kit+ breast cancer, significantly increased T cell recruitment, and inhibited tumor growth. Regression of large established tumors were achieved when the nanoparticle was used in combination with anti-CTLA-4 monoclonal antibody

Elevated growth differentiation factor 15 expression in patients with congenital dyserythropoietic anemia type I

Congenital dyserythropoietic anemia (CDA) is a rare group of red blood cell disorders characterized by ineffective erythropoiesis and increased iron absorption. To determine whether growth differentation factor 15 (GDF15) hyper-expression is associated with the ineffective erythropoiesis and iron-loading complications of CDA type I (CDA I), GDF15 levels and other markers of erythropoiesis and iron overload were studied in blood from 17 CDA I patients. Significantly higher levels of GDF15 were detected among the CDA I patients (10 239 ± 3049 pg/mL) compared with healthy volunteers (269 ± 238 pg/mL). In addition, GDF15 correlated significantly with several erythropoietic and iron parameters including Hepcidin-25, Ferritin, and Hepcidin-25/Ferritin ratios. These novel results suggest that CDA I patients express very high levels of serum GDF15, and that GDF15 contributes to the inappropriate suppression of hepcidin with subsequent secondary hemochromatosis