Project description:Erythropoietin (EPO) drives erythropoiesis and is secreted mainly by the kidney upon hypoxic or anemic stress. The paucity of EPO production in renal EPO-producing cells (REPs) causes renal anemia, one of the most common complications of chronic nephropathies. Although mitochondrial dysfunction is commonly observed in several renal and hematopoietic disorders, the mechanism by which mitochondrial quality control impacts renal anemia remains elusive. In this study, we showed that FUNDC1, a mitophagy receptor, plays a critical role in EPO-driven erythropoiesis induced by stresses. Mechanistically, EPO production is impaired in REPs in Fundc1-/- mice upon stresses, and the impairment is caused by the accumulation of damaged mitochondria, which consequently leads to the elevation of the reactive oxygen species (ROS) level and triggers inflammatory responses by up-regulating proinflammatory cytokines. These inflammatory factors promote the myofibroblastic transformation of REPs, resulting in the reduction of EPO production. We therefore provide a link between aberrant mitophagy and deficient EPO generation in renal anemia. Our results also suggest that the mitochondrial quality control safeguards REPs under stresses, which may serve as a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of renal anemia.
Project description:Erythropoietin (Epo) is the master regulator of erythropoiesis and oxygen homeostasis. Despite its physiological importance, the molecular and genomic contexts of the cells responsible for renal Epo production have not yet been resolved, limiting effective cell-based therapies for anemia. Here, we performed single-cell profiling of an Epo reporter mouse to molecularly identify Epo-producing cells under hypoxic conditions. We report that a distinct and homogeneous population of kidney stromal cells, which we name Norn cells, are the sole source of Epo production in vivo. Extensive characterization of the Norn epigenetic and transcriptional landscapes revealed Norn-specific markers, pathways, and transcription factor circuits conserved from mice to humans. These findings open new avenues to functionally dissect EPO gene regulation in human evolution and disease, and pave the way for the next generation of genetic and cell-based approaches for EPO therapies.
Project description:We analyzed the transcriptomic response in three distinct CHO cell lines: a non-producing host cell line (CHOZN®GS-/-), an immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) producer, and an erythropoietin Fc fusion (EPO-Fc) producer. We compared the growth and production characteristics of all three cell lines during fed-batch culture. High throughput RNA sequencing (RNASeq) and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) were used to study differential gene expression analysis of the timecourse dataset with the host cell line CHOZN®GS-/- as the reference. The objective of this analysis was to study the common and unique responses of cell lines producing different protein products. This analysis showed enrichment and transient upregulation of mRNAs involved in ER stress, the UPR, and oxidative protein folding and processing in both protein producers. Analysis of temporal differential expression profiles led to the identification of novel engineering targets.
Project description:We identify and analyse in detail a specific Sca-1-positive cell population that increases after treatment with the anaemia drug roxadustat and is capable to support Epo production in mice
Project description:CD34+ progenitors were isolated from the bone marrow of three healthy volunteers. CD34+CD71+CD45RA- were FACS sorted to enrich for erythroid progenitors. The cells were cultured for four hours with or without EPO in combination with LY294002, and harvested for RNA extraction, amplification and expression analysis. A compound treatment design type is where the response to administration of a compound or chemical (including biological compounds such as hormones) is assayed. Compound Based Treatment: EPO Keywords: compound_treatment_design
Project description:We have established a novel mouse model for postnatal erythropoietin (Epo)-deficiency anaemia, designated ISAM (inherited super anemic mouse) using a transgenic complementation rescue technique. To identify responsible signals for myofibroblastic transformation of Renal Erythropoietin-producing cells (REPs), we examined the mRNA expression profile of whole ISAM kidneys that underwent reversible UUO model.
Project description:Hypoxic-ischemic (HI) injury in the developing brain is a common cause of disability in children, and there are no effective treatments at this time. Erythropoietin (EPO) has recently gained interest as a neuroprotective drug, and EPO and its receptor are expressed within the central nervous system. We have recently shown that pretreatment with EPO markedly reduced brain injury caused by unilateral hypoxic-ischemic insult in 7 day old mice. EPO did not reduce early signs of neuronal injury at 6 hours, but significantly protected the neonatal brain when assessed 24 hours and 7 days after HI. The mechanism of this delayed protection is unclear, but is thought to involve transcription of neuroprotective genes, possibly subsequent to activation of NFkB. By comparing gene expression in EPO- and vehicle- (VEH) treated mice after HI, we should gain insight into the mechanisms underlying the neuroprotective effects of EPO and may identify additional targets for therapeutic interventions. We will compare gene expression patterns in 7-day old mouse forebrain after 1) VEH pretreatment plus sham surgery, 2) VEH pretreatment plus HI, and 3) EPO pretreatment plus HI. We will thus identify genes induced by HI in the developing brain and characterize changes in gene expression caused by EPO pretreatment. We will use the model of neonatal hypoxic-ischemic injury and EPO treatment parameters that were used in our prior studies demonstrating neuroprotection. Based on the time-course of neuroprotection defined in our prior study and the pharmacokinetic profile of EPO, we will examine gene expression 18 hours after HI. We hypothesize that changes in gene expression after EPO pretreatment underlie the neuroprotective effects of this cytokine after neonatal hypoxic ischemic injury. We will examine gene expression in 3 groups: 1) 1) VEH pretreatment + sham surgery, 2) VEH pretreatment + HI, and 3) EPO pretreatment + HI. EPO (5U/g, i.p.) or VEH was injected in 7 day old mice, drawn from 4 litters, with 3 to 4 pups per treatment group in each litter. One hour later, the right common carotid artery was ligated under isoflurane anesthesia, animals were allowed to recover for 90 min and were then placed in hypoxic chambers (10% oxygen, balance nitrogen) for 50 min. The animals subjected to sham surgery received isoflurane anesthesia for a comparable period, incision and dissection to visualize the common carotid artery, but no ligation and no hypoxia. Eighteen hrs later, animals were anesthetized with isoflurane and the right hemisphere was rapidly dissected and placed in RNA Later (Qiagen) at 4C. Total RNA was isolated using an RNeasy lipid tissue mini kit (QIAzol lysis and RNeasy purification, Qiagen). RNA concentrations were determined spectrophotometrically and an aliquot of each sample was examined by gel electrophoresis to screen for degradation. Samples were stored at -80C. After quality control screening, we selected 5 male and 5 female samples per treatment group (extra samples were reserved). We plan to pool 1 male and 1 female for each microarray sample and we plan to run 5 microarrays from each treatment group, for a total of 15 microarrays. We would like to have Agilent Bioanalyzer quality control assays on the individual samples carried out by the consortium before pooling. We will send 10 micrograms of each sample for Agilent QC and subsequent pooling of equimolar amounts. We would like to use Affymetrix mouse gene chips (please advise which specific chips are available; are you using the GeneChip Mouse Expression array 430A or the GeneChip Mouse Genome 430 2.0 Array?).