scholarly journals CBIO-10. REDUCED IRON EXPORT FUNCTIONS IN A CELL INTRINSIC MANNER TO DRIVE GLIOBLASTOMA GROWTH

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. ii17-ii17
Author(s):  
Katie Troike ◽  
Erin Mulkearns-Hubert ◽  
Daniel Silver ◽  
James Connor ◽  
Justin Lathia
Keyword(s):  
Tumor Cells ◽  
Iron Uptake ◽  
Iron Homeostasis ◽  
Iron Status ◽  
Tumor Grade ◽  
Hfe Gene ◽  
Iron Release ◽  
Female Patients ◽  
Cellular Iron

Abstract Glioblastoma (GBM), the most common primary malignant brain tumor in adults, is characterized by invasive growth and poor prognosis. Iron is a critical regulator of many cellular processes, and GBM tumor cells have been shown to modulate expression of iron-associated proteins to enhance iron uptake from the surrounding microenvironment, driving tumor initiation and growth. While iron uptake has been the central focus of previous investigations, additional mechanisms of iron regulation, such as compensatory iron efflux, have not been explored in the context of GBM. The hemochromatosis (HFE) gene encodes a transmembrane glycoprotein that aids in iron homeostasis by limiting cellular iron release, resulting in a sequestration phenotype. We find that HFE is upregulated in GBM tumors compared to non-tumor brain and that expression of HFE increases with tumor grade. Furthermore, HFE mRNA expression is associated with significantly reduced survival specifically in female patients with GBM. Based on these findings, we hypothesize that GBM tumor cells upregulate HFE expression to augment cellular iron loading and drive proliferation, ultimately leading to reduced survival of female patients. To test this hypothesis, we generated Hfe knockdown and overexpressing mouse glioma cell lines. We observed significant alterations in the expression of several iron handling genes with Hfe knockdown or overexpression, suggesting global disruption of iron homeostasis. Additionally, we show that knockdown of Hfe in these cells increases apoptosis and leads to a significant impairment of tumor growth in vivo. These findings support the hypothesis that Hfe is a critical regulator of cellular iron status and contributes to tumor aggression. Future work will include further exploration of the mechanisms that contribute to these phenotypes as well as interactions with the tumor microenvironment. Elucidating the mechanisms by which iron effulx contributes to GBM may inform the development of next-generation targeted therapies.

CBIO-06. CELL INTRINSIC HFE DRIVES SEX-SPECIFIC GLIOBLASTOMA GROWTH

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (Supplement_6) ◽  
pp. vi28-vi28
Author(s):  
Katie M Troike ◽  
Erin E Mulkearns-Hubert ◽  
Daniel J Silver ◽  
James Connor ◽  
Justin Lathia
Keyword(s):  
Tumor Growth ◽  
Iron Uptake ◽  
Iron Homeostasis ◽  
Iron Status ◽  
Essential Element ◽  
Cell Number ◽  
Hfe Gene ◽  
Dependent Manner

Abstract Iron is an essential element required for a number of cellular processes and can contribute to malignant transformation and tumor expansion. In glioblastoma (GBM), tumor cells have been shown to modulate expression of iron-associated proteins to enhance iron uptake from the surrounding microenvironment, driving proliferation and tumor growth. The homeostatic iron regulatory (HFE) gene encodes a transmembrane glycoprotein that aids in iron homeostasis by modulating iron uptake and release. HFE is upregulated in GBM tumors compared to non-tumor brain and expression of HFE increases with tumor grade. Furthermore, HFE mRNA expression is associated with significantly reduced survival specifically in female patients with GBM. However, it is unclear how HFE impacts sex-specific GBM growth. To interrogate the underlying mechanism of HFE-mediated sex differences, we employed genetic loss and gain of function approaches using syngeneic mouse glioma models. We observed significant alterations in the expression of several iron-associated genes with Hfe knockdown or overexpression, suggesting global disruption of iron homeostasis. We found that knockdown of Hfe decreased cell number and increased apoptosis in vitro and led to a significant impairment of tumor growth in vivo, with a more pronounced effect seen in female mice. Conversely, overexpression of Hfe increased cell number and significantly decreased survival only in female animals. These findings support the hypothesis that Hfe is a critical regulator of cellular iron status and contributes to tumor aggression in a sex-dependent manner. These data also suggest an unexplored link between cell intrinsic iron signaling and sex-specific microenvironmental and immune responses, which is the focus of ongoing studies.

scholarly journals A role for sex and a common HFE gene variant in brain iron uptake

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 540-548 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kari A Duck ◽  
Elizabeth B Neely ◽  
Ian A Simpson ◽  
James R Connor
Keyword(s):  
Blood Brain Barrier ◽  
Iron Uptake ◽  
Iron Transport ◽  
Iron Status ◽  
Brain Barrier ◽  
Hfe Gene ◽  
Brain Iron ◽  
Cellular Iron ◽  
Blood Brain ◽  
The Brain

HFE (high iron) is an essential protein for regulating iron transport into cells. Mutations of the HFE gene result in loss of this regulation causing accumulation of iron within the cell. The mutated protein has been found increasingly in numerous neurodegenerative disorders in which increased levels of iron in the brain are reported. Additionally, evidence that these mutations are associated with elevated brain iron challenges the paradigm that the brain is protected by the blood–brain barrier. While much has been studied regarding the role of HFE in cellular iron uptake, it has remained unclear what role the protein plays in the transport of iron into the brain. We investigated regulation of iron transport into the brain using a mouse model with a mutation in the HFE gene. We demonstrated that the rate of radiolabeled iron (59Fe) uptake was similar between the two genotypes despite higher brain iron concentrations in the mutant. However, there were significant differences in iron uptake between males and females regardless of genotype. These data indicate that brain iron status is consistently maintained and tightly regulated at the level of the blood–brain barrier.

Effect of hepcidin on intestinal iron absorption in mice

Blood ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 103 (10) ◽  
pp. 3940-3944 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abas H. Laftah ◽  
Bala Ramesh ◽  
Robert J. Simpson ◽  
Nita Solanky ◽  
Seiamak Bahram ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Iron Uptake ◽  
Iron Absorption ◽  
Iron Status ◽  
Hfe Gene ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Liver Iron ◽  
Hepcidin Expression ◽  
Iron Deficient ◽  
Polymerase Chain

Abstract The effect of the putative iron regulatory peptide hepcidin on iron absorption was investigated in mice. Hepcidin peptide was synthesized and injected into mice for up to 3 days, and in vivo iron absorption was measured with tied-off segments of duodenum. Liver hepcidin expression was measured by reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction. Hepcidin significantly reduced mucosal iron uptake and transfer to the carcass at doses of at least 10 μg/mouse per day, the reduction in transfer to the carcass being proportional to the reduction in iron uptake. Synthetic hepcidin injections down-regulated endogenous liver hepcidin expression excluding the possibility that synthetic hepcidin was functioning by a secondary induction of endogenous hepcidin. The effect of hepcidin was significant at least 24 hours after injection of hepcidin. Liver iron stores and hemoglobin levels were unaffected by hepcidin injection. Similar effects of hepcidin on iron absorption were seen in iron-deficient and Hfe knockout mice. Hepcidin inhibited the uptake step of duodenal iron absorption but did not affect the proportion of iron transferred to the circulation. The effect was independent of iron status of mice and did not require Hfe gene product. The data support a key role for hepcidin in the regulation of intestinal iron uptake.

scholarly journals A Novel Model for Brain Iron Uptake: Introducing the Concept of Regulation

2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian A Simpson ◽  
Padmavathi Ponnuru ◽  
Marianne E Klinger ◽  
Roland L Myers ◽  
Kavi Devraj ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Iron Deficiency ◽  
Iron Homeostasis ◽  
Iron Status ◽  
In Vivo Model ◽  
Iron Release ◽  
Brain Iron ◽  
Neurologic Disorders ◽  
A Cell ◽  
Brain Microvasculature

Neurologic disorders such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, and Restless Legs Syndrome involve a loss of brain iron homeostasis. Moreover, iron deficiency is the most prevalent nutritional concern worldwide with many associated cognitive and neural ramifications. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms by which iron enters the brain and how those processes are regulated addresses significant global health issues. The existing paradigm assumes that the endothelial cells (ECs) forming the blood—brain barrier (BBB) serve as a simple conduit for transport of transferrin-bound iron. This concept is a significant oversimplification, at minimum failing to account for the iron needs of the ECs. Using an in vivo model of brain iron deficiency, the Belgrade rat, we show the distribution of transferrin receptors in brain microvasculature is altered in luminal, intracellular, and abluminal membranes dependent on brain iron status. We used a cell culture model of the BBB to show the presence of factors that influence iron release in non-human primate cerebrospinal fluid and conditioned media from astrocytes; specifically apo-transferrin and hepcidin were found to increase and decrease iron release, respectively. These data have been integrated into an interactive model where BBB ECs are central in the regulation of cerebral iron metabolism.

scholarly journals Dopamine Is a Siderophore-Like Iron Chelator That PromotesSalmonella entericaSerovar Typhimurium Virulence in Mice

mBio ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefanie Dichtl ◽  
Egon Demetz ◽  
David Haschka ◽  
Piotr Tymoszuk ◽  
Verena Petzer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bacterial Growth ◽  
Iron Uptake ◽  
Iron Homeostasis ◽  
Iron Acquisition ◽  
Lipocalin 2 ◽  
Intracellular Iron ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hepcidin Expression

ABSTRACTWe have recently shown that the catecholamine dopamine regulates cellular iron homeostasis in macrophages. As iron is an essential nutrient for microbes, and intracellular iron availability affects the growth of intracellular bacteria, we studied whether dopamine administration impacts the course ofSalmonellainfections. Dopamine was found to promote the growth ofSalmonellaboth in culture and within bone marrow-derived macrophages, which was dependent on increased bacterial iron acquisition. Dopamine administration to mice infected withSalmonella entericaserovar Typhimurium resulted in significantly increased bacterial burdens in liver and spleen, as well as reduced survival. The promotion of bacterial growth by dopamine was independent of the siderophore-binding host peptide lipocalin-2. Rather, dopamine enhancement of iron uptake requires both the histidine sensor kinase QseC and bacterial iron transporters, in particular SitABCD, and may also involve the increased expression of bacterial iron uptake genes. Deletion or pharmacological blockade of QseC reduced but did not abolish the growth-promoting effects of dopamine. Dopamine also modulated systemic iron homeostasis by increasing hepcidin expression and depleting macrophages of the iron exporter ferroportin, which enhanced intracellular bacterial growth.Salmonellalacking all central iron uptake pathways failed to benefit from dopamine treatment. These observations are potentially relevant to critically ill patients, in whom the pharmacological administration of catecholamines to improve circulatory performance may exacerbate the course of infection with siderophilic bacteria.IMPORTANCEHere we show that dopamine increases bacterial iron incorporation and promotesSalmonellaTyphimurium growth bothin vitroandin vivo. These observations suggest the potential hazards of pharmacological catecholamine administration in patients with bacterial sepsis but also suggest that the inhibition of bacterial iron acquisition might provide a useful approach to antimicrobial therapy.

scholarly journals Do FeS clusters rule bacterial iron regulation?

2020 ◽  
Vol 295 (46) ◽  
pp. 15464-15465
Author(s):  
Roland Lill
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Ferrous Iron ◽  
Iron Uptake ◽  
Iron Regulation ◽  
Ferric Uptake Regulator ◽  
Iron Binding ◽  
Cellular Iron ◽  
Open Question ◽  
Exciting Possibility

For decades, the bacterial ferric uptake regulator (Fur) has been thought to respond to ferrous iron to transcriptionally regulate genes required for balancing iron uptake, storage, and utilization. Because iron binding to Fur has never been confirmed in vivo, the physiological iron-sensing mechanism remains an open question. Fontenot et al. now show that Fur purified from Escherichia coli binds an all-Cys-coordinated [2Fe-2S] cluster. This finding opens the exciting possibility that Fur may join numerous well-studied bacterial, fungal, and mammalian proteins that use FeS clusters for cellular iron regulation.

scholarly journals Polyphosphate Functions In Vivo as Iron Chelator and Fenton Inhibitor

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francois Beaufay ◽  
Ellen Quarles ◽  
Allison Franz ◽  
Olivia Katamanin ◽  
Wei-Yun Wholey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fenton Reaction ◽  
Oxidative Dna Damage ◽  
Iron Homeostasis ◽  
Iron Chelator ◽  
Iron Stress ◽  
Fenton Chemistry ◽  
Cellular Iron ◽  
Covalently Linked

AbstractMaintaining cellular iron homeostasis is critical for organismal survival. Whereas iron depletion negatively affects the many metabolic pathways that depend on the activity of iron-containing enzymes, any excess of iron can cause the rapid formation of highly toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) through Fenton chemistry. Although several cellular iron chelators have been identified, little is known about if and how organisms can prevent the Fenton reaction. By studying the effects of cisplatin, a commonly used anticancer drug and effective antimicrobial, we discovered that cisplatin elicits severe iron stress and oxidative DNA damage in bacteria. We found that both of these effects are successfully prevented by polyphosphate (polyP), an abundant polymer consisting solely of covalently linked inorganic phosphates. Subsequent in vitro and in vivo studies revealed that polyP provides a crucial iron reservoir under non-stress conditions, and effectively complexes free iron and blocks ROS formation during iron stress. These results demonstrate that polyP, a universally conserved biomolecule, plays a hitherto unrecognized role as an iron chelator and an inhibitor of the Fenton reaction.

HFE Downregulates Iron Uptake From Transferrin and Induces Iron-Regulatory Protein Activity in Stably Transfected Cells

Blood ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 94 (11) ◽  
pp. 3915-3921 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.D. Riedel ◽  
M.U. Muckenthaler ◽  
S.G. Gehrke ◽  
I. Mohr ◽  
K. Brennan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transferrin Receptor ◽  
Iron Uptake ◽  
Iron Homeostasis ◽  
Hereditary Hemochromatosis ◽  
Regulatory Protein ◽  
Intracellular Iron ◽  
Iron Storage ◽  
Iron Regulatory Proteins ◽  
Cellular Iron

Hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) is a common autosomal-recessive disorder of iron metabolism. More than 80% of HH patients are homozygous for a point mutation in a major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I type protein (HFE), which results in a lack of HFE expression on the cell surface. A previously identified interaction of HFE and the transferrin receptor suggests a possible regulatory role of HFE in cellular iron absorption. Using an HeLa cell line stably transfected with HFE under the control of a tetracycline-sensitive promoter, we investigated the effect of HFE expression on cellular iron uptake. We demonstrate that the overproduction of HFE results in decreased iron uptake from diferric transferrin. Moreover, HFE expression activates the key regulators of intracellular iron homeostasis, the iron-regulatory proteins (IRPs), implying that HFE can affect the intracellular “labile iron pool.” The increase in IRP activity is accompanied by the downregulation of the iron-storage protein, ferritin, and an upregulation of transferrin receptor levels. These findings are discussed in the context of the pathophysiology of HH and a possible role of iron-responsive element (IRE)-containing mRNAs.

Physiology of iron transport and the hemochromatosis gene

2002 ◽  
Vol 282 (3) ◽  
pp. G403-G414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonello Pietrangelo
Keyword(s):  
Iron Homeostasis ◽  
Cell Damage ◽  
Hereditary Hemochromatosis ◽  
Hfe Gene ◽  
Cell Functions ◽  
Cellular Iron ◽  
Histocompatibility Complex ◽  
Biological Studies ◽  
Hemochromatosis Gene ◽  
Main Protein

Iron is essential for fundamental cell functions but is also a catalyst for chemical reactions involving free radical formation, potentially leading to oxidative stress and cell damage. Cellular iron levels are therefore carefully regulated to maintain an adequate substrate while also minimizing the pool of potentially toxic “free iron.” The main control of body iron homeostasis in higher organisms is placed in the duodenum, where dietary iron is absorbed, whereas no controlled means of eliminating unwanted iron have evolved in mammals. Hereditary hemochromatosis, the prototype of deregulated iron homeostasis in humans, is due to inappropriately increased iron absorption and is commonly associated to a mutated HFE gene. The HFE protein is homologous to major histocompatibility complex class I proteins but is not an iron carrier, whereas biochemical and cell biological studies have shown that the transferrin receptor, the main protein devoted to cellular uptake of transferrin iron, interacts with HFE. This review focuses on recent advances in iron research and presents a model of HFE function in iron metabolism.

scholarly journals Enhanced erythropoiesis in Hfe-KO mice indicates a role for Hfe in the modulation of erythroid iron homeostasis

Blood ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 117 (4) ◽  
pp. 1379-1389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Ramos ◽  
Ella Guy ◽  
Nan Chen ◽  
Catia C. Proenca ◽  
Sara Gardenghi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Iron Overload ◽  
Iron Uptake ◽  
Iron Homeostasis ◽  
Hereditary Hemochromatosis ◽  
Dietary Iron ◽  
Erythroid Cells ◽  
Hepcidin Expression ◽  
Stress Erythropoiesis ◽  
Cellular Iron ◽  
Cellular Iron Uptake

Abstract In hereditary hemochromatosis, mutations in HFE lead to iron overload through abnormally low levels of hepcidin. In addition, HFE potentially modulates cellular iron uptake by interacting with transferrin receptor, a crucial protein during erythropoiesis. However, the role of HFE in this process was never explored. We hypothesize that HFE modulates erythropoiesis by affecting dietary iron absorption and erythroid iron intake. To investigate this, we used Hfe-KO mice in conditions of altered dietary iron and erythropoiesis. We show that Hfe-KO mice can overcome phlebotomy-induced anemia more rapidly than wild-type mice (even when iron loaded). Second, we evaluated mice combining the hemochromatosis and β-thalassemia phenotypes. Our results suggest that lack of Hfe is advantageous in conditions of increased erythropoietic activity because of augmented iron mobilization driven by deficient hepcidin response. Lastly, we demonstrate that Hfe is expressed in erythroid cells and impairs iron uptake, whereas its absence exclusively from the hematopoietic compartment is sufficient to accelerate recovery from phlebotomy. In summary, we demonstrate that Hfe influences erythropoiesis by 2 distinct mechanisms: limiting hepcidin expression under conditions of simultaneous iron overload and stress erythropoiesis, and impairing transferrin-bound iron uptake by erythroid cells. Moreover, our results provide novel suggestions to improve the treatment of hemochromatosis.

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