scholarly journals KLF2 is essential for primitive erythropoiesis and regulates the human and murine embryonic β-like globin genes in vivo

Blood ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 106 (7) ◽  
pp. 2566-2571 ◽  
Author(s):  
Priyadarshi Basu ◽  
Pamela E. Morris ◽  
Jack L. Haar ◽  
Maqsood A. Wani ◽  
Jerry B. Lingrel ◽  
...  

AbstractThe Krüppel-like factors (KLFs) are a family of C2/H2 zinc finger DNA-binding proteins that are important in controlling developmental programs. Erythroid Krüppel-like factor (EKLF or KLF1) positively regulates the β-globin gene in definitive erythroid cells. KLF2 (LKLF) is closely related to EKLF and is expressed in erythroid cells. KLF2-/- mice die between embryonic day 12.5 (E12.5) and E14.5, because of severe intraembryonic hemorrhaging. They also display growth retardation and anemia. We investigated the expression of the β-like globin genes in KLF2 knockout mice. Our results show that KLF2-/- mice have a significant reduction of murine embryonic Ey- and βh1-globin but not ζ-globin gene expression in the E10.5 yolk sac, compared with wild-type mice. The expression of the adult βmaj- and βmin-globin genes is unaffected in the fetal livers of E12.5 embryos. In mice carrying the entire human globin locus, KLF2 also regulates the expression of the human embryonic ϵ-globin gene but not the adult β-globin gene, suggesting that this developmental-stage-specific role is evolutionarily conserved. KLF2 also plays a role in the maturation and/or stability of erythroid cells in the yolk sac. KLF2-/- embryos have a significantly increased number of primitive erythroid cells undergoing apoptotic cell death. (Blood. 2005;106: 2566-2571)

Blood ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 104 (11) ◽  
pp. 1210-1210
Author(s):  
Lauren Sterner ◽  
Toru Miyazaki ◽  
Larry Swift ◽  
Ann Dean ◽  
Jane Little

Abstract We examined the effects of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) on globin gene expression during development. We studied globin gene expression in transgenic mice that have endogenous elevations in the SCFA propionate due to a knockout (KO) of the gene for propionyl CoA carboxylase subunit A (PCCA, Miyazaki et al. JBC, 2001 Sep 21;276(38):35995–9). Serum propionate levels measured by gas chromatography were 2.5 to 3.6 mgms/ml in 2 adult PCCA KO mice and were undetectable in 2 wild type (wt) or heterozygous control adult mice. Embryonic PCCA KO offspring had propionate levels of 2.3 and 5.0 μgms/100 mgms of fetal liver, at day 16.5 (E16.5), while wt or heterozygotes at E14.5 had levels <1 μgm/100 mgms. Analysis of expression from alpha (α), beta major (βmaj), embryonic beta-type epsilon-y (εy), embryonic beta-type beta H1 (βH1) and embryonic alpha-type zeta (ζ) globin genes plus 18S ribosomal RNA as a control was undertaken using real-time PCR with gene-specific primers and taqman probes. cDNA was reverse-transcribed from the mRNA of yolk sac (YS) and fetal liver of PCCA KO and wt progeny of more than one litter from timed pregnancies. Individual PCCA embryos at E10 (n=10), E12 (n=9), and E14 (n=7) were analyzed for globin gene expression, normalized to18S expression and were compared to age-matched wt embryos (n>=4 for each time point). As expected, embryonic alpha- and beta-type globin gene expression (ζ and βH1 plus εy) predominated in E 10 YS, and definitive globin gene expression, α and βmaj, predominated in E12 or E14 fetal liver. Expression from embryonic alpha-type globin was calculated as normalized ζ/(ζ+α) and from embryonic beta-type globins as normalized (βH1+εy)/(βH1+εy+βmaj), see table. Embryonic globin gene expression was statistically significantly increased in PCCA KO E12 YS at 1.3 fold relative to wt ζ and in PCCA KO E14 YS at 1.8 fold and 2.1 fold relative to wt ζ or βH1 and εy respectively (p<.05). No increase in embryonic globin mRNA was seen in adult PCCA KO animals. We conclude that elevations of SCFAs during normal murine development causes a persistence of both embryonic alpha-type and embryonic beta-type globin gene expression during primitive, but not definitive, erythropoiesis, suggesting that SCFAs cannot reactivate silenced murine embryonic globin genes in the absence of erythroid stress. Embryonic Globin Gene Expression in Mice with Endogenous Elevations of SCFAs % Expression PCCA KO wild type p value, t test E10 ζ Yolk Sac 53+/− 2 nd E10 βH1 & ε y Yolk Sac 99 +/− 0.3 nd E12 ζ Yolk Sac 32 +/− 3 25 +/− 1 p < .05 E12 βH1 & ε y Yolk Sac 77 +/− 6 74 +/− 3 ns E14 ζ Yolk Sac 7 +/− 1.5 4 +/− 1.4 p < .05 E14 βH1 & ε y Yolk Sac 13 +/− 6 6 +/− 0.5 p < .05 E12 ζ Fetal Liver 11 +/− 4 9 +/− 2 ns E12 βH1 & ε y Fetal Liver 13 +/− 5 13+/− 3 ns E14 ζ Fetal Liver 1 +/− 0.4 0.7 +/− 0.2 ns E14 βH1 & εy Fetal Liver 6 +/− 1.8 4 +/− 1 ns


Blood ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 114 (22) ◽  
pp. 2539-2539
Author(s):  
Kathleen E. McGrath ◽  
Jenna M Frame ◽  
George Fromm ◽  
Anne D Koniski ◽  
Paul D Kingsley ◽  
...  

Abstract Abstract 2539 Poster Board II-516 A transient wave of primitive erythropoiesis begins at embryonic day 7.5 (E7.5) in the mouse as yolk sac-derived primitive erythroid progenitors (EryP-CFC) generate precursors that mature in the circulation and expand in numbers until E12.5. A second wave of erythroid progenitors (BFU-E) originates in the yolk sac beginning at E8.25 that generate definitive erythroid cells in vitro. These BFU-E colonize the newly forming liver beginning at E10.5, prior to the initial appearance there of adult-repopulating hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) between E11.5-12.5. This wave of definitive erythroid yolk sac progenitors is proposed to be the source of new blood cells required by the growing embryo after the expansion of primitive erythroid cells has ceased and before HSC-derived hematopoiesis can fulfill the erythropoietic needs of the embryo. We utilized multispectral imaging flow cytometry both to distinguish erythroid lineages and to define specific stages of erythroid precursor maturation in the mouse embryo. Consistent with this model, we found that small numbers of definitive erythrocytes first enter the embryonic circulation beginning at E11.5. All maturational stages of erythroid precursors were observed in the E11.5 liver, consistent with these first definitive erythrocytes having rapidly completed their maturation in the liver. The expression of βH1 and εy-beta globin genes is thought to be limited to primitive erythroid cells. Surprisingly, examination of globin gene expression by in situ hybridization revealed high levels of βH1-, but not εy-globin, transcripts in the parenchyma of E11.5-12.5 livers. RT-PCR analysis of globin mRNAs confirmed the expression of βH1- and adult β1-, but not εy-globin, in E11.5 liver-derived definitive (ckit+, Ter119lo) proerythroblasts sorted by flow cytometry to remove contaminating primitive (ckit-, Ter119+) erythroid cells. A similar pattern of globin gene expression was found in individual definitive erythroid colonies derived from E9.5 yolk sac and from early fetal liver. In vitro differentiation of definitive erythroid progenitors from E9.5 yolk sac revealed a maturational “switch” from βH1- and β1-globins to predominantly β1-globin. βH1-globin transcripts were not observed in proerythroblasts from bone marrow or E16.5 liver or in erythroid colonies from later fetal liver. ChIP analysis revealed that hyperacetylated domains encompass all beta globin genes in primitive erythroid cells but only the adult β1- and β2-globin genes in E16.5 liver proerythroblasts. Consistent with their unique gene expression, E11.5 liver proerythroblasts have hyperacetylated domains encompassing the βh1-, β1- and β2-, but not εy-globin genes. We also examined human globin transgene expression in mice carrying a single copy of the human beta globin locus. Because of the overlapping presence and changing proportion of primitive and definitive erythroid cells during development, we analyzed sorted cell populations whose identities were confirmed by murine globin gene expression. We confirmed that primitive erythroid cells express higher levels of γ- than ε-globin and little β-globin. E11.5 proerythroblasts and cultured E9.5 progenitors express γ- and β-, but not ε-globin. E16.5 liver proerythroblasts express β- and low levels of γ-globin, while adult marrow proerythroblasts express only β-globin transcripts. In summary, two forms of definitive erythropoiesis emerge in the murine embryo, each with distinct globin expression patterns and chromatin modifications of the β-globin locus. While both lineages predominantly express adult globins, the first, yolk sac-derived lineage uniquely expresses low levels of the embryonic βH1-globin gene as well as the human γ-globin transgene. The second definitive erythroid lineage, found in the later fetal liver and postnatal marrow, expresses only adult murine globins as well as low levels of the human γ-globin transgene only in the fetus. Our studies reveal a surprising complexity to the ontogeny of erythropoiesis. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Blood ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 112 (9) ◽  
pp. 3889-3899 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Garrick ◽  
Marco De Gobbi ◽  
Vasiliki Samara ◽  
Michelle Rugless ◽  
Michelle Holland ◽  
...  

Although much is known about globin gene activation in erythroid cells, relatively little is known about how these genes are silenced in nonerythroid tissues. Here we show that the human α- and β-globin genes are silenced by fundamentally different mechanisms. The α-genes, which are surrounded by widely expressed genes in a gene dense region of the genome, are silenced very early in development via recruitment of the Polycomb (PcG) complex. By contrast, the β-globin genes, which lie in a relatively gene-poor chromosomal region, are not bound by this complex in nonerythroid cells. The PcG complex seems to be recruited to the α-cluster by sequences within the CpG islands associated with their promoters; the β-globin promoters do not lie within such islands. Chromatin associated with the α-globin cluster is modified by histone methylation (H3K27me3), and silencing in vivo is mediated by the localized activity of histone deacetylases (HDACs). The repressive (PcG/HDAC) machinery is removed as hematopoietic progenitors differentiate to form erythroid cells. The α- and β-globin genes thus illustrate important, contrasting mechanisms by which cell-specific hematopoietic genes (and tissue-specific genes in general) may be silenced.


Blood ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 110 (11) ◽  
pp. 1770-1770
Author(s):  
Himanshu Bhatia ◽  
Jennifer Hallock ◽  
Lauren Sterner ◽  
Toru Miyazaki ◽  
Ann Dean ◽  
...  

Abstract Persistence of fetal hemoglobin can ameliorate adult beta (β)-globin gene disorders. Since SCFAs can affect embryonic and fetal globin gene expression, we examined their role during development. Murine globin gene expression, β-type (embryonic βH1, and epsilon-y, εY, and adult βmajor), and alpha (α)-type (embryonic zeta, ζ, >α, adult α), were compared between wildtype (wt) and transgenic mice, in which a key enzyme for SCFA metabolism, PCCA, had been knocked out (PCCA−/−, (Miyazaki et al, 2001). E10.5 PCCA−/− yolk sac (n= 9), showed increased α, βH1 and ζ gene expression, at respectively 2-, 2.6- and 1.6-fold relative to wt (n=13, p<.05), and εY gene expression, at 1.7-fold (p=0.07). The embryonic-to-adult globin gene switch was modestly delayed in yolk sacs from E12.5 PCCA−/− (n=9) vs. wt (n=4) and E 14.5 PCCA−/− (n=6) vs. wt (n=6). % embryonic β-type globin gene expression (% βH1 and εY of total β globin) was 77±6 PCCA−/− and 74±3 wt at E12.5, p=n.s., and 42±13 PCCA−/− and 21±3 wt at E14.5, p<.05; % emvbryonic α-type expression (% ζ of total α) was 32±3 PCCA−/−, 25±1wt at E12.5, p<.05 and 7±2 PCCA−/− and 4±1 wt at E14.5, p<.05). Embryonic globin gene expression in E 12.5 and 14.5 fetal livers was not different between PCCA−/− and wt embryos. Cultures of pooled E14.5 wt fetal liver cells (FLCs, n=4 separate experiments), however, suggested that embryonic globin genes can be activated in FLCs. The percent of total β-type globin gene expression that was embryonic after culture with butyrate (1mM) was 11.6±2.6%, with propionate (2.5 mM) was 3.6±0.2%, and insulin/erythropoietin or basal media was 0.03±0.03% and 0.42±0.26% respectively (p<.05 relative to SCFAs). Dose-response with propionate (n=2 seaparate experiments) suggest inadequate endogenous propionate levels for activation in PCCA −/− fetal liver, as % embryonic β-type globin gene expression rose above basal levels only at concentrations of 1 to 5 mM (2.5 mM maximal) but not at <0.6 mM. We conclude that endogenous SCFAs, at levels achievable in vivo can activate embryonic globin gene expression during development in the murine yolk-sac. However, higher levels than achievable endogenously currently are necessary to produce this effect in murine fetal livers.


Blood ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 121 (17) ◽  
pp. 3493-3501 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Amaya ◽  
Megha Desai ◽  
Merlin Nithya Gnanapragasam ◽  
Shou Zhen Wang ◽  
Sheng Zu Zhu ◽  
...  

Key Points Mi2β exerts a major part of its silencing effect on embryonic and fetal globin genes by positively regulating the BCL11A and KLF1 genes. Partial depletion of Mi2β induces increased γ-globin gene expression in primary human erythroid cells without impairing differentiation.


1998 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 6634-6640 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise E. Sabatino ◽  
Amanda P. Cline ◽  
Patrick G. Gallagher ◽  
Lisa J. Garrett ◽  
George Stamatoyannopoulos ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT During development, changes occur in both the sites of erythropoiesis and the globin genes expressed at each developmental stage. Previous work has shown that high-level expression of human β-like globin genes in transgenic mice requires the presence of the locus control region (LCR). Models of hemoglobin switching propose that the LCR and/or stage-specific elements interact with globin gene sequences to activate specific genes in erythroid cells. To test these models, we generated transgenic mice which contain the human Aγ-globin gene linked to a 576-bp fragment containing the human β-spectrin promoter. In these mice, the β-spectrin Aγ-globin (βsp/Aγ) transgene was expressed at high levels in erythroid cells throughout development. Transgenic mice containing a 40-kb cosmid construct with the micro-LCR, βsp/Aγ-, ψβ-, δ-, and β-globin genes showed no developmental switching and expressed both human γ- and β-globin mRNAs in erythroid cells throughout development. Mice containing control cosmids with the Aγ-globin gene promoter showed developmental switching and expressed Aγ-globin mRNA in yolk sac and fetal liver erythroid cells and β-globin mRNA in fetal liver and adult erythroid cells. Our results suggest that replacement of the γ-globin promoter with the β-spectrin promoter allows the expression of the β-globin gene. We conclude that the γ-globin promoter is necessary and sufficient to suppress the expression of the β-globin gene in yolk sac erythroid cells.


Blood ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 114 (22) ◽  
pp. SCI-7-SCI-7
Author(s):  
Mitchell J. Weiss

Abstract Abstract SCI-7 Efforts to define the mechanisms of globin gene expression and transcriptional control of erythrocyte formation have provided key insights into our understanding of developmental hematopoiesis. Our group has focused on GATA-1, a zinc finger protein that was initially identified through its ability to bind a conserved cis element that regulates globin gene expression. GATA-1 is essential for erythroid development and mutations in the GATA1 gene are associated with human cytopenias and leukemia. Several general principles have emerged through studies to define the mechanisms of GATA-1 action. First, GATA-1 activates not only globin genes, but also virtually every gene that defines the erythroid phenotype. This observation sparked successful gene discovery efforts to identify new components of erythroid development and physiology. Second, GATA-1 also represses transcription through multiple mechanisms. This property may help to explain how GATA-1 regulates hematopoietic lineage commitment and also how GATA1 mutations contribute to cancer, since several directly repressed targets are proto-oncogenes. Third, GATA-1 regulates not only protein coding genes, but also microRNAs, which in turn, modulate erythropoiesis through post-transcriptional mechanisms. Fourth, GATA-1 interacts with other essential erythroid-specific and ubiquitous transcription factors. These protein interactions regulate gene expression by influencing chromatin modifications and controlling three-dimensional proximity between widely spaced DNA elements. Recently, we have combined transcriptome analysis with ChIP-chip and ChIP-seq studies to correlate in vivo occupancy of DNA by GATA-1 and other transcription factors with mRNA expression genome-wide in erythroid cells. These studies better elucidate how GATA-1 recognizes DNA, discriminates between transcriptional activation versus repression and interacts functionally with other nuclear proteins. I will review published and new aspects of our work in these areas. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


2001 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
You-Jun Li ◽  
Rachel R. Higgins ◽  
Brian J. Pak ◽  
Ramesh A. Shivdasani ◽  
Paul A. Ney ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT In previous studies, we identified a common site of retroviral integration designated Fli-2 in Friend murine leukemia virus (F-MuLV)-induced erythroleukemia cell lines. Insertion of F-MuLV at the Fli-2 locus, which was associated with the loss of the second allele, resulted in the inactivation of the erythroid cell- and megakaryocyte-specific genep45 NFE2 . Frequent disruption ofp45 NFE2 due to proviral insertion suggests a role for this transcription factor in the progression of Friend virus-induced erythroleukemias. To assess this possibility, erythroleukemia was induced by F-MuLV inp45 NFE2 mutant mice. Sincep45 NFE2 homozygous mice mostly die at birth, erythroleukemia was induced in +/− and +/+ mice. We demonstrate that +/− mice succumb to the disease moderately but significantly faster than +/+ mice. In addition, the spleens of +/− mice were significantly larger than those of +/+ mice. Of the 37 tumors generated from the +/− and +/+ mice, 10 gave rise to cell lines, all of which were derived from +/− mice. Establishment in culture was associated with the loss of the remaining wild-typep45 NFE2 allele in 9 of 10 of these cell lines. The loss of a functional p45NFE2 in these cell lines was associated with a marked reduction in globin gene expression. Expression of wild-typep45 NFE2 in the nonproducer erythroleukemic cells resulted in reduced cell growth and restored the expression of globin genes. Similarly, the expression ofp45 NFE2 in these cells also slows tumor growth in vivo. These results indicate thatp45 NFE2 functions as an inhibitor of erythroid cell growth and that perturbation of its expression contributes to the progression of Friend erythroleukemia.


Blood ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 120 (21) ◽  
pp. 280-280
Author(s):  
Wulan Deng ◽  
Jeremy W Rupon ◽  
Hongxin Wang ◽  
Andreas Reik ◽  
Philip D. Gregory ◽  
...  

Abstract Abstract 280 Distal enhancers physically contact target promoters to confer high level transcription. At the mammalian β-globin loci long-range chromosomal interactions between a distal enhancer, called the locus control region (LCR), and the globin genes are developmentally dynamic such that the LCR contacts the embryonic, fetal and adult globin genes in a stage-appropriate fashion. LCR-globin gene interactions require the nuclear factor Ldb1. Recently, we employed artificial zinc finger (ZF) proteins to target Ldb1 to the endogenous β-globin locus to force an LCR-promoter interaction. This led to substantial activation of β-globin transcription and suggested that forced chromatin looping could be employed as a powerful tool to manipulate gene expression in vivo (Deng et al., Cell 2012). Reactivation of the fetal globin genes in adult erythroid cells has been a long-standing goal in the treatment of patients with sickle cell anemia. Therefore, building on our findings, we investigated whether the developmentally silenced embryonic globin gene βh1 can be re-activated in adult murine erythroblasts by re-directing the LCR away from the adult type globin gene and towards its embryonic counterpart. To this end, Ldb1 was fused to artificial ZF proteins (ZF-Ldb1) designed to bind to the βh1 promoter. ZF-Ldb1 was introduced into definitive erythroid cells in which only the adult but not the embryonic β-like globin gene is expressed. In vivo binding of the ZF-Ldb1 to its intended target was verified by chromatin immunoprecipitation assay. Strikingly, expression of ZF-Ldb1 re-activated βh1 transcription up to approximately ∼15% of total cellular β-globin production. This suggests that forced tethering of a looping factor to a select promoter can be employed to override a pre-existing developmental long-range chromatin interaction to reprogram a developmentally controlled gene locus. We are now in the process of testing whether our approach might be suitable to reactivate the silent fetal globin genes in adult human erythroid cells. These studies are underway and the results will be discussed at the meeting. Disclosures: Reik: Sangamo BioSciences, Inc.: Employment. Gregory:Sangamo BioSciences, Inc.: Employment.


2008 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 1526-1537 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefania Bottardi ◽  
Julie Ross ◽  
Vincent Bourgoin ◽  
Nasser Fotouhi-Ardakani ◽  
El Bachir Affar ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT During development and erythropoiesis, globin gene expression is finely modulated through an important network of transcription factors and chromatin modifying activities. In this report we provide in vivo evidence that endogenous Ikaros is recruited to the human β-globin locus and targets the histone deacetylase HDAC1 and the chromatin remodeling protein Mi-2 to the human γ-gene promoters, thereby contributing to γ-globin gene silencing at the time of the γ- to β-globin gene transcriptional switch. We show for the first time that Ikaros interacts with GATA-1 and enhances the binding of the latter to different regulatory regions across the locus. Consistent with these results, we show that the combinatorial effect of Ikaros and GATA-1 impairs close proximity between the locus control region and the human γ-globin genes. Since the absence of Ikaros also affects GATA-1 recruitment to GATA-2 promoter, we propose that the combinatorial effect of Ikaros and GATA-1 is not restricted to globin gene regulation.


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