Nicholas C. Huston

Mitochondrial ClpX Activates a Key Enzyme for Heme Biosynthesis and Erythropoiesis

The mitochondrion maintains and regulates its proteome with chaperones primarily inherited from its bacterial endosymbiont ancestor. Among these chaperones is the AAA+ unfoldase ClpX, an important regulator of prokaryotic physiology with poorly defined function in the eukaryotic mitochondrion. We observed phenotypic similarity in S. cerevisiae genetic interaction data between mitochondrial ClpX (mtClpX) and genes contributing to heme biosynthesis, an essential mitochondrial function. Metabolomic analysis revealed that 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA), the first heme precursor, is 5-fold reduced in yeast lacking mtClpX activity and that total heme is reduced by half. mtClpX directly stimulates ALA synthase in vitro by catalyzing incorporation of its cofactor, pyridoxal phosphate. This activity is conserved in mammalian homologs; additionally, mtClpX depletion impairs vertebrate erythropoiesis, which requires massive upregulation of heme biosynthesis to supply hemoglobin. mtClpX, therefore, is a widely conserved stimulator of an essential biosynthetic pathway and uses a previously unrecognized mechanism for AAA+ unfoldases.

Homozygous knockout of the piezo1 gene in the zebrafish is not associated with anemia

The human erythrocyte travels nearly 300 miles through 170,000 circuits of the circulatory system during its 120-day lifespan. This prolonged voyage subjects the red cell membrane to high and varied shear forces, to compression and stretching when traversing sinusoidal capillary beds, to osmotic shrinkage and swelling when passing through the renal medulla, to oxidative stress during repeated cycles of deoxygenation and re-oxygenation, to assault from the complement system, and to gradual loss of surface area from microvesicle shedding and from macrophage-mediated erythrophagocytosis. Volume regulatory ion transport systems help red cells adapt to these demands, and the transporters and channels that regulate red cell volume are controlled, at least in part, by membrane mechanosensors, including the cation channel, PIEZO1.1 Gain-of-function mutations in PIEZO1 cause autosomal dominant dehydrated stomatocytosis (DHSt), also known as xerocytosis, characterized by increased cell volume and Na+ content, decreased K+ content, and elevated MCHC,2–4 with often fully compensated anemia. The PIEZO1 mutants characterized to date in DHSt patients have been associated with delayed inactivation after channel opening.5 Piezo1 loss-of-function in the mouse is lethal at mid-gestation due to defective vasculogenesis,6,7 so the role of PIEZO1 in the mature circulating erythrocyte cannot be studied in the Piezo1 global knockout mouse.

Iron regulatory protein-1 protects against mitoferrin-1-deficient porphyria.

Background: Heme and [Fe-S] cluster assembly are tightly regulated processes that require mitochondrial iron. Results: Loss of mitochondrial iron activates the [Fe-S]-dependent RNA-binding activity of IRP1 that inhibits protoporphyrin biosynthesis. Conclusion: IRP1 forms a critical feedback mechanism, preventing protoporphyrin accumulation under limiting mitochondrial iron conditions. Significance: This study provides evidence linking heme biogenesis to that of [Fe-S] clusters synthesis. Mitochondrial iron is essential for the biosynthesis of heme and iron-sulfur ([Fe-S]) clusters in mammalian cells. In developing erythrocytes, iron is imported into the mitochondria by MFRN1 (mitoferrin-1, SLC25A37). Although loss of MFRN1 in zebrafish and mice leads to profound anemia, mutant animals showed no overt signs of porphyria, suggesting that mitochondrial iron deficiency does not result in an accumulation of protoporphyrins. Here, we developed a gene trap model to provide in vitro and in vivo evidence that iron regulatory protein-1 (IRP1) inhibits protoporphyrin accumulation. Mfrn1+/gt;Irp1−/− erythroid cells exhibit a significant increase in protoporphyrin levels. IRP1 attenuates protoporphyrin biosynthesis by binding to the 5′-iron response element (IRE) of alas2 mRNA, inhibiting its translation. Ectopic expression of alas2 harboring a mutant IRE, preventing IRP1 binding, in Mfrn1gt/gt cells mimics Irp1 deficiency. Together, our data support a model whereby impaired mitochondrial [Fe-S] cluster biogenesis in Mfrn1gt/gt cells results in elevated IRP1 RNA-binding that attenuates ALAS2 mRNA translation and protoporphyrin accumulation.

Hematopoietic stem cells develop in the absence of endothelial cadherin 5 expression

Rare endothelial cells in the aorta-gonad-mesonephros (AGM) transition into hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) during embryonic development. Lineage tracing experiments indicate that HSCs emerge from cadherin 5 (Cdh5; vascular endothelial-cadherin)(+) endothelial precursors, and isolated populations of Cdh5(+) cells from mouse embryos and embryonic stem cells can be differentiated into hematopoietic cells. Cdh5 has also been widely implicated as a marker of AGM-derived hemogenic endothelial cells. Because Cdh5(-/-) mice embryos die before the first HSCs emerge, it is unknown whether Cdh5 has a direct role in HSC emergence. Our previous genetic screen yielded malbec (mlb(bw306)), a zebrafish mutant for cdh5, with normal embryonic and definitive blood. Using time-lapse confocal imaging, parabiotic surgical pairing of zebrafish embryos, and blastula transplantation assays, we show that HSCs emerge, migrate, engraft, and differentiate in the absence of cdh5 expression. By tracing Cdh5(-/-)green fluorescent protein (GFP)(+/+) cells in chimeric mice, we demonstrated that Cdh5(-/-)GFP(+/+) HSCs emerging from embryonic day 10.5 and 11.5 (E10.5 and E11.5) AGM or derived from E13.5 fetal liver not only differentiate into hematopoietic colonies but also engraft and reconstitute multilineage adult blood. We also developed a conditional mouse Cdh5 knockout (Cdh5(flox/flox):Scl-Cre-ER(T)) and demonstrated that multipotent hematopoietic colonies form despite the absence of Cdh5. These data establish that Cdh5, a marker of hemogenic endothelium in the AGM, is dispensable for the transition of hemogenic endothelium to HSCs.