Modulation of IRP Binding Activity by Oxygen in Primary Erythroid Cells.

Blood ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 110 (11) ◽  
pp. 2662-2662
Author(s):  
Matthias Schranzhofer ◽  
Manfred Schifrer ◽  
Prem Ponka ◽  
Ernst W. Muellner

Abstract Iron regulatory proteins 1 and 2 (IRP1 and IRP2) are cytoplasmic RNA-binding proteins that target specific stem-loop RNA structures known as iron responsive elements (IRE). Binding of IRPs to IREs inhibits translation of ferritin mRNA and stabilizes transferrin receptor (TfR) mRNA. Various factors have been reported to regulate binding activity of IRPs, such as iron, phosphorylation, nitric oxide and hypoxia. While there is a consistent agreement on the negative effect of iron on the interaction between IRPs and IREs, reports regarding the influence of hypoxia on the IRE-binding activity of IRPs vary in a species and cell specific manner. It was the aim of this work to study the effect of hypoxic (3% oxygen) and normoxic (20% oxygen) conditions on IRP binding activity in primary erythroid cells. The cells were induced for differentiation and incubated under physiological, low (Desferrioxamine) and high (ferric ammonium citrate) iron conditions. Binding activity of IRPs and protein levels of ferritin and TfR as well as cell proliferation and differentiation parameters were determined to analyze the regulation of iron metabolism during terminal differentiation. The data show, that in developing red blood cells binding activities of IRP1 and IRP2 are reduced at 3% oxygen. This reduction correlates with increased ferritin protein levels and decreased TfR protein levels. Moreover, incubation under hypoxia strongly decreased cell expansion and reduces hemoglobinization. These results suggest that terminal erythroid differentiation in the bone marrow might occur under normoxic rather than hypoxic conditions.

Blood ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 110 (11) ◽  
pp. 705-705 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Schranzhofer ◽  
Manfred Schifrer ◽  
Bruno Galy ◽  
Matthias Hentze ◽  
Prem Ponka ◽  
...  

Abstract Erythroid cells are the major consumers of iron in the human body. Differentiating erythroid cells shuttle the metal with very high efficiency towards mitochondria for the formation of heme. To satisfy their high iron needs, developing red blood cells (RBC) have to sustain high expression of transferrin receptor 1 (TfR) despite increasing cellular iron concentration. Moreover, synthesis of ferritin must not be activated by incoming iron, since this would represent a counterproductive storage during the phase of high iron demand. Recently we have demonstrated that during terminal differentiation primary erythroid cells satisfy their exceptionally high requirements for iron by switching to a mode where the post-transcriptional, iron-dependent regulatory system, formed by iron responsive proteins (IRP1 and IRP2) and iron responsive elements (IREs), seems to sense a low-iron state. This occurs despite a massive net increase of iron import into the cell (Schranzhofer et al., Blood107:4159, 2006). To examine the hypothesis that erythroid cells have low non-heme iron levels in their cytosol, we experimentally increased the cytosolic iron pool by either inhibiting heme biosynthesis or overloading cells with iron. Both block of heme synthesis by either succinylacetone or isonicotinic acid hydrazide (INH) or administration of ferric ammonium citrate, resulted in a clear increase in ferritin levels. This increase was directly proportional to the increase in the cellular concentration of non-heme-iron. Moreover, the effect of INH, the inhibitor of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) synthase, could be reversed by the addition of ALA. Strikingly, increases in ferritin expression upon perturbation of cellular iron homeostasis strongly correlated with the loss of IRE-binding activity of IRP2 but not IRP1, as determined by mobility shift assays. This suggests that IRP2 is the major regulator of ferritin expression in erythroid cells. To further elaborate on this observation, we cultured primary erythroblasts derived from IRP1−/− and IRP2−/− mice (kindly provided by Drs. M. Hentze and B. Galy). In agreement with the published phenotype of microcytic hypochromic anemia, only erythroblasts lacking IRP2 exhibited a reduction in hemoglobinization. Moreover, only IRP2−/− cells showed a significant increase in ferritin expression, whereas developing RBC lacking IRP1 had levels of ferritin protein equal to wild type cells. We conclude that in erythroid cells efficient shuttling of incoming iron towards mitochondria and its prompt use for heme formation is important to keep the cytosol in an iron-deprived state and consequently ferritin protein levels low. This translational repression seems to be mainly achieved by IRP2. Together with the observation that surface expression of TfR was reduced in IRP2−/− erythroblasts during self renewal but not during terminal differentiation, our results suggest that not only down-regulation of TfR, but also up-regulation of ferritin may be a major factor for the anemic phenotype observed in IRP2−/− mice.


Blood ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 118 (22) ◽  
pp. e168-e179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mayka Sanchez ◽  
Bruno Galy ◽  
Bjoern Schwanhaeusser ◽  
Jonathon Blake ◽  
Tomi Bähr-Ivacevic ◽  
...  

Abstract Iron regulatory proteins (IRPs) 1 and 2 are RNA-binding proteins that control cellular iron metabolism by binding to conserved RNA motifs called iron-responsive elements (IREs). The currently known IRP-binding mRNAs encode proteins involved in iron uptake, storage, and release as well as heme synthesis. To systematically define the IRE/IRP regulatory network on a transcriptome-wide scale, IRP1/IRE and IRP2/IRE messenger ribonucleoprotein complexes were immunoselected, and the mRNA composition was determined using microarrays. We identify 35 novel mRNAs that bind both IRP1 and IRP2, and we also report for the first time cellular mRNAs with exclusive specificity for IRP1 or IRP2. To further explore cellular iron metabolism at a system-wide level, we undertook proteomic analysis by pulsed stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture in an iron-modulated mouse hepatic cell line and in bone marrow-derived macrophages from IRP1- and IRP2-deficient mice. This work investigates cellular iron metabolism in unprecedented depth and defines a wide network of mRNAs and proteins with iron-dependent regulation, IRP-dependent regulation, or both.


Blood ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 106 (11) ◽  
pp. 3594-3594
Author(s):  
Marc Mikhael ◽  
Sangwon Kim ◽  
Matthias Schranzhofer ◽  
Ernest W. Mullner ◽  
Prem Ponka

Abstract The remarkable post-transcriptional regulation of intracellular iron homeostasis by iron regulatory proteins 1 and 2 (IRP1 and IRP2) is touted as a classic example of translational control. During low levels of intracellular iron, IRPs bind to specific nucleotide sequences known as iron responsive elements (IRE) present in the 5′-untranslated region (UTR) of ferritin (Ft) mRNA and the 3′UTR of transferrin receptor (TfR) mRNA. Such binding during conditions of low intracellular iron, blocks the translation of Ft, the ubiquitous and major iron storing protein, while TfR mRNA is stabilized, leading to increased TfR synthesis and iron uptake. High levels of intracellular iron will abrogate IRP-IRE binding activity, de-repressing Ft translation on the one hand, while causing TfR mRNA instability on the other. This system ensures that potentially hazardous iron is safely stored when it is in abundance and acquired when its levels are low. Nitric oxide (NO), a gaseous molecule involved in a myriad of functions, is known to affect the IRP system in many ways. The NO+ redox form of nitric oxide is involved in the reversible post-translational regulation of numerous proteins (including IRP2), a process called S-nitrosylation. We previously reported that NO+ causes upregulation of Ft synthesis along with IRP2 degradation. Here we report that sodium nitroprusside (SNP), an NO+ donor, causes a dramatic and rapid increase of ferritin synthesis that for a time occurs without interfering with IRP-IRE binding activities. We also show that NO+ increases the translational efficiency of ferritin mRNA as compared to treatment with ferric ammonium citrate, an iron donor. In addition, we also report that SNP does not function as an iron donor. These results indicate that NO+-mediated upregulation of ferritin synthesis is, in part, due to an IRP-independent post-transcriptional mechanism of regulation.


2007 ◽  
Vol 405 (3) ◽  
pp. 523-531 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Arnaud ◽  
Karl Ravet ◽  
Andrea Borlotti ◽  
Brigitte Touraine ◽  
Jossia Boucherez ◽  
...  

Animal cytosolic ACO (aconitase) and bacteria ACO are able to switch to RNA-binding proteins [IRPs (iron-regulatory proteins)], thereby playing a key role in the regulation of iron homoeostasis. In the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, we have identified three IRP1 homologues, named ACO1–3. To determine whether or not they may encode functional IRP proteins and regulate iron homoeostasis in plants, we have isolated loss-of-function mutants in the three genes. The aco1-1 and aco3-1 mutants show a clear decrease in cytosolic ACO activity. However, none of the mutants is affected in respect of the accumulation of the ferritin transcript or protein in response to iron excess. cis-acting elements potentially able to bind to the IRP have been searched for in silico in the Arabidopsis genome. They appear to be very rare sequences, found in the 5′-UTR (5′-untranslated region) or 3′-UTR of a few genes unrelated to iron metabolism. They are therefore unlikely to play a functional role in the regulation of iron homoeostasis. Taken together, our results demonstrate that, in plants, the cytosolic ACO is not converted into an IRP and does not regulate iron homoeostasis. In contrast with animals, the RNA binding activity of plant ACO, if any, would be more likely to be attributable to a structural element, rather than to a canonical sequence.


2007 ◽  
Vol 27 (7) ◽  
pp. 2423-2430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Wang ◽  
Carine Fillebeen ◽  
Guohua Chen ◽  
Annette Biederbick ◽  
Roland Lill ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Iron regulatory protein 1 (IRP1) controls the translation or stability of several mRNAs by binding to “iron-responsive elements” within their untranslated regions. In iron-replete cells, IRP1 assembles a cubane iron-sulfur cluster (ISC) that inhibits RNA-binding activity and converts the protein to cytosolic aconitase. We show that the constitutive IRP1C437S mutant, which fails to form an ISC, is destabilized by iron. Thus, exposure of H1299 cells to ferric ammonium citrate reduced the half-life of transfected IRP1C437S from ∼24 h to ∼10 h. The iron-dependent degradation of IRP1C437S involved ubiquitination, required ongoing transcription and translation, and could be efficiently blocked by the proteasomal inhibitors MG132 and lactacystin. Similar results were obtained with overexpressed wild-type IRP1, which predominated in the apo-form even in iron-loaded H1299 cells, possibly due to saturation of the ISC assembly machinery. Importantly, inhibition of ISC biogenesis in HeLa cells by small interfering RNA knockdown of the cysteine desulfurase Nfs1 sensitized endogenous IRP1 for iron-dependent degradation. Collectively, these data uncover a mechanism for the regulation of IRP1 abundance as a means to control its RNA-binding activity, when the ISC assembly pathway is impaired.


Blood ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 105 (5) ◽  
pp. 2161-2167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guangjun Nie ◽  
Alex D. Sheftel ◽  
Sangwon F. Kim ◽  
Prem Ponka

AbstractCytosolic ferritin sequesters and stores iron and, consequently, protects cells against iron-mediated free radical damage. However, the function of the newly discovered mitochondrial ferritin (MtFt) is unknown. To examine the role of MtFt in cellular iron metabolism, we established a cell line that stably overexpresses mouse MtFt under the control of a tetracycline-responsive promoter. The overexpression of MtFt caused a dose-dependent iron deficiency in the cytosol that was revealed by increased RNA-binding activity of iron regulatory proteins (IRPs) along with an increase in transferrin receptor levels and decrease in cytosolic ferritin. Consequently, the induction of MtFt resulted in a dramatic increase in cellular iron uptake from transferrin, most of which was incorporated into MtFt. The induction of MtFt caused a shift of iron from cytosolic ferritin to MtFt. In addition, iron inserted into MtFt was less available for chelation than that in cytosolic ferritin and the expression of MtFt was associated with decreased mitochondrial and cytosolic aconitase activities, the latter being consistent with the increase in IRP-binding activity. In conclusion, our results indicate that overexpression of MtFt causes a dramatic change in intracellular iron homeostasis and that shunting iron to MtFt likely limits its availability for active iron proteins.


2019 ◽  
Vol 201 (13) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily A. Williams McMackin ◽  
Louise Djapgne ◽  
Jodi M. Corley ◽  
Timothy L. Yahr

ABSTRACTType III secretion systems (T3SS) are widely distributed in Gram-negative microorganisms and critical for host-pathogen and host-symbiont interactions with plants and animals. Central features of the T3SS are a highly conserved set of secretion and translocation genes and contact dependence wherein host-pathogen interactions trigger effector protein delivery and serve as an inducing signal for T3SS gene expression. In addition to these conserved features, there are pathogen-specific properties that include a unique repertoire of effector genes and mechanisms to control T3SS gene expression. ThePseudomonas aeruginosaT3SS serves as a model system to understand transcriptional and posttranscriptional mechanisms involved in the control of T3SS gene expression. The central regulatory feature is a partner-switching system that controls the DNA-binding activity of ExsA, the primary regulator of T3SS gene expression. Superimposed upon the partner-switching mechanism are cyclic AMP and cyclic di-GMP signaling systems, two-component systems, global regulators, and RNA-binding proteins that have positive and negative effects on ExsA transcription and/or synthesis. In the present review, we discuss advances in our understanding of how these regulatory systems orchestrate the activation of T3SS gene expression in the context of acute infections and repression of the T3SS asP. aeruginosaadapts to and colonizes the cystic fibrosis airways.


Blood ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 94 (2) ◽  
pp. 781-792 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Darnell ◽  
D.R. Richardson

We have identified specific iron (Fe) chelators of the pyridoxal isonicotinoyl hydrazone (PIH) class that are far more effective ligands than desferrioxamine (DFO; Richardson et al, Blood 86:4295, 1995; Richardson and Milnes, Blood 89:3025, 1997). In the present study, we have compared the effect of DFO and one of the most active chelators (2-hydroxy-1-naphthylaldehyde isonicotinoyl hydrazone; 311) on molecular targets involved in proliferation. This was performed to further understand the mechanisms involved in the antitumor activity of Fe chelators. Ligand 311 was far more active than DFO at increasing Fe release from SK-N-MC neuroepithelioma and BE-2 neuroblastoma cells and preventing Fe uptake from transferrin. Like DFO, 311 increased the RNA-binding activity of the iron-regulatory proteins (IRPs). However, despite the far greater Fe chelation efficacy of 311 compared with DFO, a similar increase in IRP-RNA binding activity occurred after 2 to 4 hours of incubation with either chelator, and the binding activity was not inhibited by cycloheximide. These results suggest that, irrespective of the Fe chelation efficacy of a ligand, an increase IRP-RNA binding activity occurred via a time-dependent step that did not require protein synthesis. Further studies examined the effect of 311 and DFO on the expression of p53-transactivated genes that are crucial for cell cycle control and DNA repair, namely WAF1,GADD45, and mdm-2. Incubation of 3 different cell lines with DFO or 311 caused a pronounced concentration- and time-dependent increase in the expression of WAF1 and GADD45 mRNA, but not mdm-2 mRNA. In accordance with the distinct differences in Fe chelation efficacy and antiproliferative activity of DFO and 311, much higher concentrations of DFO (150 μmol/L) than 311 (2.5 to 5 μmol/L) were required to markedly increase GADD45 and WAF1 mRNA levels. The increase in GADD45 and WAF1 mRNA expression was seen only after 20 hours of incubation with the chelators and was reversible after removal of the ligands. In contrast to the chelators, the Fe(III) complexes of DFO and 311 had no effect on increasing GADD45 and WAF1 mRNA levels, suggesting that Fe chelation was required. Finally, the increase in GADD45 and WAF1 mRNAs appeared to occur by a p53-independent pathway in SK-N-MC and K562 cells, because these cell lines lack functional p53. Our results suggest that GADD45 and WAF1 may play important roles in the cell cycle arrest observed after exposure to these chelators.


2012 ◽  
Vol 302 (10) ◽  
pp. E1269-E1282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruijin Shao ◽  
Xiaoqin Wang ◽  
Birgitta Weijdegård ◽  
Anders Norström ◽  
Julia Fernandez-Rodriguez ◽  
...  

Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins (hnRNPs), which are chromatin-associated RNA-binding proteins, participate in mRNA stability, transport, intracellular localization, and translation by acting as transacting factors. Several studies have shown that steroid hormones can regulate hnRNP expression. However, to date, the regulation of hnRNPs and their interactions with steroid hormone signaling in fallopian tubes and endometrium are not fully elucidated. In the present study, we determined whether hnRNP expression is regulated during the menstrual cycle and correlates with estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) levels in human fallopian tubes in vivo. Because of the limited availability of human tubal tissues for the research, we also explored the mechanisms of hnRNP regulation in human endometrium in vitro. Fallopian tissue was obtained from patients in the early, late, and postovulatory phases and the midsecretory phase and endometrial tissue from premenopausal and postmenopausal women undergoing hysterectomy. We measured expression of hnRNPs and assessed their intracellular localization and interactions with ERs and PRs. We also determined the effects of human chorionic gonadotropin, 17β-estradiol (E2), and progesterone (P4) on hnRNP expression. In fallopian tubes, mRNA and protein levels of hnRNP A1, AB, D, G, H, and U changed dynamically during ovulation and in the midsecretory phase. In coimmunolocation and coimmunoprecipitation experiments, hnRNPs interacted with each other and with ERs and PRs in fallopian tubes. After treatment with E2 and/or P4 to activate ERs and PRs, hnRNP A1, AB, D, G, and U proteins displayed overlapping but distinct patterns of regulation in the endometrium in vitro. Our findings expand the physiological repertoire of hnRNPs in human fallopian tubes and endometrium and suggest that steroid hormones regulate different hnRNPs directly by interacting with ERs and/or PRs or indirectly by binding other hnRNPs. Both actions may contribute to regulation of gene transcription.


Blood ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 102 (9) ◽  
pp. 3404-3411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian D. Schneider ◽  
Elizabeth A. Leibold

AbstractIron regulatory proteins (IRP1 and IRP2) are RNA-binding proteins that affect the translation and stabilization of specific mRNAs by binding to stem-loop structures known as iron responsive elements (IREs). IREs are found in the 5′-untranslated region (UTR) of ferritin (Ft) and mitochondrial aconitase (m-Aco) mRNAs, and in the 3′-UTR of transferrin receptor (TfR) and divalent metal transporter-1 (DMT1) mRNAs. Our previous studies show that besides iron, IRPs are regulated by hypoxia. Here we describe the consequences of IRP regulation and show that iron homeostasis is regulated in 2 phases during hypoxia: an early phase where IRP1 RNA-binding activity decreases and iron uptake and Ft synthesis increase, and a late phase where IRP2 RNA-binding activity increases and iron uptake and Ft synthesis decrease. The increase in iron uptake is independent of DMT1 and TfR, suggesting an unknown transporter. Unlike Ft, m-Aco is not regulated during hypoxia. During the late phase of hypoxia, IRP2 RNA-binding activity increases, becoming the dominant regulator responsible for decreasing Ft synthesis. During reoxygenation (ReO2), Ft protein increases concomitant with a decrease in IRP2 RNA-binding activity. The data suggest that the differential regulation of IRPs during hypoxia may be important for cellular adaptation to low oxygen tension.


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