Hepcidin expression and iron transport in alveolar macrophages

2006 ◽  
Vol 291 (3) ◽  
pp. L417-L425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ngoc-Bich Nguyen ◽  
Kimberly D. Callaghan ◽  
Andrew J. Ghio ◽  
David J. Haile ◽  
Funmei Yang

Alveolar macrophages express many proteins important in iron homeostasis, including the iron importer divalent metal transport 1 (DMT1) and the iron exporter ferroportin 1 (FPN1) that likely participate in lung defense. We found the iron regulatory hormone hepcidin (HAMP) is also produced by alveolar macrophages. In mouse alveolar macrophages, HAMP mRNA was detected at a low level when not stimulated but at a high level when exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS). LPS also affected the mRNA levels of the iron transporters, with DMT1 being upregulated and FPN1 downregulated. However, iron had no effect on HAMP expression but was able to upregulate both DMT1 and FPN1 in alveolar macrophages. IL-1 and IL-6, which are important in HAMP augmentation in hepatocytes, also did not affect HAMP expression in alveolar macrophages. In fact, the LPS-induced alterations in the expression of HAMP as well as DMT1 and FPN1 were preserved in the alveolar macrophages isolated from IL-1 receptor or IL-6-deficient mice. When alveolar macrophages were loaded with transferrin-bound 55Fe, the subsequent release of 55Fe was inhibited significantly by LPS. In addition, treatment of these cells with either LPS or HAMP caused the diminishment of the surface FPN1. These findings are consistent with the current model that HAMP production leads to a decreased iron efflux. Our studies suggest that iron mobilization by alveolar macrophages can be affected by iron and LPS via several pathways, including HAMP-mediated degradation of FPN1, and that these cells may use unique regulatory mechanisms to cope with iron imbalance in the lung.

2015 ◽  
Vol 396 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marit Stirnberg ◽  
Eva Maurer ◽  
Katharina Arenz ◽  
Anne Babler ◽  
Willi Jahnen-Dechent ◽  
...  

Abstract Matriptase-2 is a type II transmembrane serine protease controlling the expression of hepcidin, the key regulator of iron homeostasis. By cleaving hemojuvelin, matriptase-2 suppresses bone morphogenetic protein/sons of mothers against decapentaplegic signaling. So far, the only known putative substrates of matriptase-2 are hemojuvelin and matriptase-2 itself. In this study, fetuin-A (α2-Heremans-Schmid glycoprotein) was identified in vitro as a substrate of matriptase-2. The protease–substrate interaction was validated by isolating matriptase-2 via the affinity to fetuin-A. Fetuin-A is a liver-derived plasma protein with multiple functions, which is proteolytically processed to yield a disulfide-linked two-chain form. In co-transfected cells, a matriptase-2-dependent conversion of unprocessed fetuin-A into a two-chain form was detected. Conversely, downregulation of endogenously expressed matriptase-2 stabilized fetuin-A. Arg and Lys residues located within the 40 residue spanning connecting peptide of fetuin-A were identified as cleavage sites for matriptase-2. Analysis of hepcidin expression revealed an inductive effect of fetuin-A, which was abolished by matriptase-2. Fetuin-A deficiency in mice resulted in decreased hepcidin mRNA levels. These findings implicate a role of fetuin-A in iron homeostasis and provide new insights into the mechanism of how matriptase-2 might modulate hepcidin expression.


Blood ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 106 (11) ◽  
pp. 512-512
Author(s):  
Lan Lin ◽  
Y. Paul Goldberg ◽  
Tomas Ganz

Abstract Human genetic studies identified HJV (also called HFE2) as the major cause for juvenile hemochromatosis (JH). Patients with HJV hemochromatosis have low urinary levels of hepcidin, the principal iron-regulatory hormone secreted by the liver. We attempted to establish the specific roles of HJV in iron metabolism, especially its relationship with hepcidin. Translation of the genomic sequence indicated a C-terminal GPI anchor for the protein product of HJV, hemojuvelin. This suggested that hemojuvelin may have either a soluble or a cell-associated form. In human hepatoma cell line Hep3B, knockdown of cellular HJV by siRNA decreased hepcidin expression, independently of the IL-6 pathway. Intriguingly, the addition of recombinant soluble hemojuvelin (rs-hemojuvelin) also suppressed hepcidin expression in primary human hepatocytes, in a log-linear dose-dependent manner, suggesting competition between soluble and cell-associated forms of hemojuvelin. Soluble hemojuvelin was found in human sera at concentrations similar to those required to suppress hepcidin mRNA in vitro. In cells engineered to express hemojuvelin, soluble hemojuvelin release was progressively inhibited by increasing iron or holotransferrin concentrations. Our study suggests that soluble and cell-associated hemojuvelin reciprocally regulate hepcidin mRNA levels, and that hemojuvelin may serve as a molecular messenger for iron homeostasis. Even in hepatocytes stimulated with IL-6, we observed strong suppression of hepcidin mRNA by rs-hemojuvelin. If rs-hemojuvelin or its active fragments also suppress hepcidin production in vivo, they could be used to alleviate anemia of inflammation.


2002 ◽  
Vol 283 (5) ◽  
pp. L932-L939 ◽  
Author(s):  
Funmei Yang ◽  
Xinchao Wang ◽  
David J. Haile ◽  
Claude A. Piantadosi ◽  
Andrew J. Ghio

Accumulation of reactive iron in acute and chronic lung disease suggests that iron-driven free radical formation could contribute to tissue injury. Safe transport and sequestration of this metal is likely to be of importance in lung defense. We provide evidence for the expression and iron-induced upregulation of the metal transporter protein-1 (MTP1) genes in human and rodent lung cells at both the protein and mRNA levels. In human bronchial epithelial cells, a 3.8-fold increase in mRNA level and a 2.4-fold increase in protein level of MTP1 were observed after iron exposure. In freshly isolated human macrophages, as much as an 18-fold increase in the MTP1 protein level was detected after incubation with an iron compound. The elevation in expression of MTP1 gene was also demonstrated in iron-instilled rat lungs and in hypotransferrinemic mouse lungs. This is similar to our previous findings with divalent metal transporter-1 (DMT1), an iron transporter that is required for iron uptake and intracellular iron trafficking. These studies suggest the presence of iron mobilization and/or detoxification pathways in the lung that are crucial for iron homeostasis and lung defense.


Blood ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 114 (12) ◽  
pp. 2515-2520 ◽  
Author(s):  
Léon Kautz ◽  
Delphine Meynard ◽  
Céline Besson-Fournier ◽  
Valérie Darnaud ◽  
Talal Al Saati ◽  
...  

Abstract Impaired regulation of hepcidin expression in response to iron loading appears to be the pathogenic mechanism for hereditary hemochromatosis. Iron normally induces expression of the BMP6 ligand, which, in turn, activates the BMP/Smad signaling cascade directing hepcidin expression. The molecular function of the HFE protein, involved in the most common form of hereditary hemochromatosis, is still unknown. We have used Hfe-deficient mice of different genetic backgrounds to test whether HFE has a role in the signaling cascade induced by BMP6. At 7 weeks of age, these mice have accumulated iron in their liver and have increased Bmp6 mRNA and protein. However, in contrast to mice with secondary iron overload, levels of phosphorylated Smads 1/5/8 and of Id1 mRNA, both indicators of BMP signaling, are not significantly higher in the liver of these mice than in wild-type livers. As a consequence, hepcidin mRNA levels in Hfe-deficient mice are similar or marginally reduced, compared with 7-week-old wild-type mice. The inappropriately low levels of Id1 and hepcidin mRNA observed at weaning further suggest that Hfe deficiency triggers iron overload by impairing hepatic Bmp/Smad signaling. HFE therefore appears to facilitate signal transduction induced by the BMP6 ligand.


Blood ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 115 (18) ◽  
pp. 3817-3826 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karin E. Finberg ◽  
Rebecca L. Whittlesey ◽  
Mark D. Fleming ◽  
Nancy C. Andrews

Abstract Iron-refractory, iron-deficiency anemia (IRIDA) is a familial disorder characterized by iron deficiency anemia unresponsive to oral iron treatment but partially responsive to intravenous iron therapy. Previously, we showed that IRIDA patients harbor loss-of-function mutations in TMPRSS6, a type II transmembrane serine protease primarily expressed by the liver. Both humans and mice with TMPRSS6 mutations show inappropriately elevated levels of the iron-regulatory hormone hepcidin, suggesting that TMPRSS6 acts to negatively regulate hepcidin expression. Here we investigate the relationship between Tmprss6 and the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)–Smad signaling pathway, a key pathway promoting hepcidin transcription in hepatocytes. We show that livers from mice deficient for Tmprss6 have decreased iron stores and decreased Bmp6 mRNA, but markedly increased mRNA for Id1, a target gene of Bmp6 signaling. In contrast, mice deficient for both Tmprss6 and hemojuvelin (Hjv), a BMP coreceptor that augments hepcidin expression in hepatocytes, showed markedly decreased hepatic levels of hepcidin and Id1 mRNA, markedly increased hepatic Bmp6 mRNA levels, and systemic iron overload similar to mice deficient for Hjv alone. These findings suggest that down-regulation of Bmp/Smad signaling by Tmprss6 is required for regulation of hepcidin expression and maintenance of systemic iron homeostasis.


Blood ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 116 (21) ◽  
pp. 164-164
Author(s):  
Karin E. Finberg ◽  
Rebecca L. Whittlesey ◽  
Stefano Rivella ◽  
Nancy C. Andrews

Abstract Abstract 164 TMPRSS6, a transmembrane protease produced by the liver, is an essential regulator of mammalian iron homeostasis. TMPRSS6 inhibits the expression of hepcidin, a circulating peptide that decreases intestinal iron absorption and macrophage iron release, by down-regulating hepatic BMP/SMAD signaling for hepcidin production. Accordingly, TMPRSS6 mutations result in elevated hepcidin levels, impaired absorption of dietary iron, and systemic iron deficiency. Interestingly, in congenital iron loading anemias such as β-thalassemia, hepcidin levels are inappropriately low relative to body iron stores, a finding that has been postulated to result from the production of a hepcidin-repressing factor in the setting of ineffective erythropoiesis. Here we asked if Tmprss6 is required to achieve the hepcidin suppression present in Hbbth3/+ mice, a model of β-thalassemia intermedia. To test this, we bred Hbbth3/+ mice to mice harboring a targeted disruption of the Tmprss6 serine protease domain. We generated mice of various Hbb-Tmprss6 genotype combinations and compared parameters of systemic iron homeostasis at 8 weeks of age. Consistent with prior studies of Hbbth3/+ mice, Hbbth3/+ mice harboring 2 wild-type Tmprss6 alleles (Hbbth3/+Tmprss6+/+ mice) showed non-heme iron concentrations of liver, spleen, and kidney that were significantly elevated compared to wild-type controls. Homozygosity for Tmprss6 mutation, however, ameliorated the iron overload phenotype of Hbbth3/+ mice and led to systemic iron deficiency. Tissue non-heme iron concentrations were markedly reduced in Hbbth3/+Tmprss6−/− mice as compared to Hbbth3/+Tmprss6+/+ mice and were similar to levels observed in Tmprss6−/− mice harboring 2 wild-type Hbb alleles. Hbbth3/+Tmprss6−/− mice had hemoglobin levels similar to the thalassemic levels present in Hbbth3/+Tmprss6+/+ mice. However, compared to Hbbth3/+Tmprss6+/+ mice, Hbbth3/+Tmprss6−/− mice showed markedly reduced erythrocyte mean corpuscular volume and serum transferrin saturation, as well as increased red blood cell count. Interestingly, homozygous loss of Tmprss6 in Hbbth3/+ mice also led to marked reduction in splenomegaly and improvement in peripheral red blood cell morphology. Consistent with prior studies of Hbbth3/+ mice, Hbbth3/+Tmprss6+/+ mice displayed hepatic hepcidin mRNA levels that were similar to wild-type and were, therefore, inappropriately decreased relative to their increased hepatic iron stores. Hepatic mRNA levels of Bmp6, encoding a Bmp ligand that is transcriptionally regulated by iron and acts as a key regulator of hepcidin expression in vivo, were significantly elevated in Hbbth3/+Tmprss6+/+ mice, suggesting that their relative hepcidin deficiency does not result from impaired Bmp6 transcription. While Hbbth3/+Tmprss6+/+ mice showed suppressed hepcidin levels, homozygous loss of Tmprss6 alleviated their hepcidin suppression and led to elevated hepcidin mRNA levels similar to Tmprss6−/− mice harboring 2 wild-type Hbb alleles. Hbbth3/+Tmprss6−/− mice also showed elevated hepatic mRNA encoding Id1, another transcriptional target of Bmp/Smad signaling. These findings indicate that Tmprss6 is required to achieve the suppression of hepatic hepcidin expression that underlies systemic iron overload in Hbbth3/+ mice. Furthermore, our results demonstrate that, by up-regulating hepatic Bmp/Smad signaling for hepcidin production, genetic loss of Tmprss6 induces profound changes in systemic iron homeostasis in this thalassemia model. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


2006 ◽  
Vol 291 (2) ◽  
pp. G229-G237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Constante ◽  
Wenlei Jiang ◽  
Dongmei Wang ◽  
Valérie-Ann Raymond ◽  
Marc Bilodeau ◽  
...  

Hepcidin is a negative regulator of iron absorption produced mainly by the liver in response to changes in iron stores and inflammation, and its levels have been shown to regulate the intestinal basolateral iron transporter ferroportin1 ( Fp1). Hereditary hemochromatosis patients and Hfe-deficient mice show inappropriate expression of hepcidin but, in apparent contradiction, still retain the ability to regulate iron absorption in response to alterations of iron metabolism. To further understand the molecular relationships among Hfe, hepcidin, and Fp1, we investigated hepcidin and Fp1 regulation in Hfe-deficient mice ( Hfe−/−and β2m−/−) in response to iron deprivation, iron loading, and acute inflammation. We found that whereas basal hepcidin levels were manifestly dependent on the presence of Hfe and on the mouse background, all Hfe-deficient mice were still able to regulate hepcidin in situations of altered iron homeostasis. In the liver, Fp1 was modulated in opposite directions by iron and LPS, and its regulation in Hfe-deficient mice was similar to that observed in wild-type mice. In addition, we found that iron-deprived mice were able to mount a robust response after LPS challenge and that Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4)-deficient mice fail to regulate hepcidin expression in response to LPS. In conclusion, these results suggest that although Hfe is necessary for the establishment of hepcidin basal levels, it is dispensable for hepcidin regulation through both the iron-sensing and inflammatory pathways, and hepatic Fp1 regulation is largely independent of hepcidin and Hfe. The inflammatory pathway overrides the iron-sensing pathway and is TLR-4 dependent.


Blood ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 111 (4) ◽  
pp. 2392-2399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Igor Theurl ◽  
Milan Theurl ◽  
Markus Seifert ◽  
Sabine Mair ◽  
Manfred Nairz ◽  
...  

Hepcidin, a master regulator of iron homeostasis, is produced in small amounts by inflammatory monocytes/macrophages. Chronic immune activation leads to iron retention within monocytes/macrophages and the development of anemia of chronic disease (ACD). We questioned whether monocyte-derived hepcidin exerts autocrine regulation toward cellular iron metabolism. Monocyte hepcidin mRNA expression was significantly induced within 3 hours after stimulation with LPS or IL-6, and hepcidin mRNA expression was significantly higher in monocytes of ACD patients than in controls. In ACD patients, monocyte hepcidin mRNA levels were significantly correlated to serum IL-6 concentrations, and increased monocyte hepcidin mRNA levels were associated with decreased expression of the iron exporter ferroportin and iron retention in these cells. Transient transfection experiments using a ferroportin/EmGFP fusion protein construct demonstrated that LPS inducible hepcidin expression in THP-1 monocytes resulted in internalization and degradation of ferroportin. Transfection of monocytes with siRNA directed against hepcidin almost fully reversed this lipopolysaccharide-mediated effect. Using ferroportin mutation constructs, we found that ferroportin is mainly targeted by hepcidin when expressed on the cell surface. Our results suggest that ferroportin expression in inflammatory monocytes is negatively affected by autocrine formation of hepcidin, thus contributing to iron sequestration within monocytes as found in ACD.


2011 ◽  
Vol 49 (01) ◽  
Author(s):  
S Arndt ◽  
U Mägdefrau ◽  
C Dorn ◽  
K Schardt ◽  
C Hellerbrand ◽  
...  

2001 ◽  
Vol 356 (3) ◽  
pp. 883-889 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorraine GAMBLING ◽  
Ruth DANZEISEN ◽  
Susan GAIR ◽  
Richard G. LEA ◽  
Zehane CHARANIA ◽  
...  

Maternal iron deficiency during pregnancy induces anaemia in the developing fetus; however, the severity tends to be less than in the mother. The mechanism underlying this resistance has not been determined. We have measured placental expression of proteins involved in iron transfer in pregnant rats given diets with decreasing levels of iron and examined the effect of iron deficiency on iron transfer across BeWo cell layers, a model for placental iron transfer. Transferrin receptor expression was increased at both mRNA and protein levels. Similarly, expression of the iron-responsive element (IRE)-regulated form of the divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1) was also increased. In contrast, the non-IRE regulated isoform showed no change in mRNA levels. Protein levels of DMT1 increased significantly. Iron efflux is thought to be mediated by the metal transporter protein, IREG1/ferroportin1/MTP1, and oxidation of Fe(II) to Fe(III) prior to incorporation into fetal transferrin is carried out by the placental copper oxidase. Expression of IREG1 was not altered by iron deficiency, whereas copper oxidase activity was increased. In BeWo cells made iron deficient by treatment with desferrioxamine (‘deferioxamine’), iron accumulation from iron-transferrin increased, in parallel with increased expression of the transferrin receptor. At the same time, iron efflux also increased, showing a higher flux of iron from the apical to the basolateral side. The data show that expression of placental proteins of iron transport are up-regulated in maternal iron deficiency, resulting in an increased efficiency of iron flux and a consequent minimization of the severity of fetal anaemia.


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