The BMP-SMAD pathway mediates the impaired hepatic iron metabolism associated with the ERFE-A260S variant.

Abstract

The erythroferrone (ERFE) is the erythroid regulator of hepatic iron metabolism by suppressing the expression of hepcidin. Congenital dyserythropoietic anemia type II (CDAII) is an inherited hyporegenerative anemia due to biallelic mutations in the SEC23B gene. Patients with CDAII exhibit marked clinical variability, even among individuals sharing the same pathogenic variants. The ERFE expression in CDAII is increased and related to abnormal erythropoiesis. We identified a recurrent low-frequency variant, A260S, in the ERFE gene in 12.5% of CDAII patients with a severe phenotype. We demonstrated that the ERFE-A260S variant leads to increased levels of ERFE, with subsequently marked impairment of iron regulation pathways at the hepatic level. Functional characterization of ERFE-A260S in the hepatic cell system demonstrated its modifier role in iron overload by impairing the BMP/SMAD pathway. We herein described for the first time an ERFE polymorphism as a genetic modifier variant. This was with a mild effect on disease expression, under a multifactorial-like model, in a condition of iron-loading anemia due to ineffective erythropoiesis.

• Authors: Immacolata Andolfo, Barbara Eleni Rosato, Roberta Marra, Gianluca De Rosa, Francesco Manna, Antonella Gambale, Achille Iolascon, Roberta Russo
• Journal: American journal of hematology (Am J Hematol) Vol. 94 Issue 11 Pg. 1227-1235 (11 2019) ISSN: 1096-8652 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 31400017 (Publication Type: Comparative Study, Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Chemical References

• BMP6 protein, human
• Bone Morphogenetic Protein 6
• Bone Morphogenetic Proteins
• Erfe protein, human
• HAMP protein, human
• Hepcidins
• Peptide Hormones
• Recombinant Proteins
• Smad Proteins

Topics

• Adolescent
• Adult
• Anemia, Dyserythropoietic, Congenital (complications, genetics, metabolism)
• Blood Transfusion
• Bone Morphogenetic Protein 6 (pharmacology)
• Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (physiology)
• Cell Line
• Child
• Erythropoiesis (genetics)
• Female
• Genetic Association Studies
• Hepcidins (biosynthesis, blood, genetics)
• Humans
• Iron Overload (etiology)
• Liver (metabolism)
• Male
• Peptide Hormones (blood, genetics, pharmacology, physiology)
• Recombinant Proteins (pharmacology)
• Severity of Illness Index
• Signal Transduction (genetics)
• Smad Proteins (biosynthesis, genetics, physiology)
• Young Adult