Project description:Heme is an erythrocyte-derived toxin that drives disease progression in hemolytic anemias. During hemolysis, specialized bone marrow-derived macrophages with a high heme-metabolism capacity orchestrate disease adaptation by removing damaged erythrocytes and heme-protein complexes from the blood and supporting iron recycling for erythropoiesis. Here, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing with RNA velocity analysis of GM-CSF-supplemented mouse bone marrow cultures to assess myeloid differentiation under heme stress. We found that heme-activated NRF2 signaling shifted the differentiation trajectories of cells towards antioxidant, iron-recycling macrophages at the expense of dendritic cells, as these cells were selectively deficient in heme-exposed bone marrow cultures. Heme eliminated the capacity of GM-CSF-supplemented bone marrow cultures to activate antigen-specific T cells. The generation of functionally competent dendritic cells was restored by NRF2 loss. The heme-induced phenotype was reproduced in hemolytic mice with sickle cell disease and spherocytosis and associated with reduced dendritic cell functions in the spleen. Our data provide a novel mechanistic underpinning how hemolytic stress may provoke hyposplenism-related secondary immunodeficiency, which is a critical determinant of mortality in patients with genetic hemolytic anemias.
Project description:Heme is an erythrocyte-derived toxin that drives disease progression in hemolytic anemias. During hemolysis, specialized bone marrow-derived macrophages with a high heme-metabolism capacity orchestrate disease adaptation by removing damaged erythrocytes and heme-protein complexes from the blood and supporting iron recycling for erythropoiesis. Here, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing with RNA velocity analysis of GM-CSF-supplemented mouse bone marrow cultures to assess myeloid differentiation under heme stress. We found that heme-activated NRF2 signaling shifted the differentiation trajectories of cells towards antioxidant, iron-recycling macrophages at the expense of dendritic cells, as these cells were selectively deficient in heme-exposed bone marrow cultures. Heme eliminated the capacity of GM-CSF-supplemented bone marrow cultures to activate antigen-specific T cells. The generation of functionally competent dendritic cells was restored by NRF2 loss. The heme-induced phenotype was reproduced in hemolytic mice with sickle cell disease and spherocytosis and associated with reduced dendritic cell functions in the spleen. Our data provide a novel mechanistic underpinning how hemolytic stress may provoke hyposplenism-related secondary immunodeficiency, which is a critical determinant of mortality in patients with genetic hemolytic anemias.
Project description:Heme is an erythrocyte-derived toxin that drives disease progression in hemolytic anemias. During hemolysis, specialized bone marrow-derived macrophages with a high heme-metabolism capacity orchestrate disease adaptation by removing damaged erythrocytes and heme-protein complexes from the blood and supporting iron recycling for erythropoiesis. Here, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing with RNA velocity analysis of GM-CSF-supplemented mouse bone marrow cultures to assess myeloid differentiation under heme stress. We found that heme-activated NRF2 signaling shifted the differentiation trajectories of cells towards antioxidant, iron-recycling macrophages at the expense of dendritic cells, as these cells were selectively deficient in heme-exposed bone marrow cultures. Heme eliminated the capacity of GM-CSF-supplemented bone marrow cultures to activate antigen-specific T cells. The generation of functionally competent dendritic cells was restored by NRF2 loss. The heme-induced phenotype was reproduced in hemolytic mice with sickle cell disease and spherocytosis and associated with reduced dendritic cell functions in the spleen. Our data provide a novel mechanistic underpinning how hemolytic stress may provoke hyposplenism-related secondary immunodeficiency, which is a critical determinant of mortality in patients with genetic hemolytic anemias.
Project description:Heme is an erythrocyte-derived toxin that drives disease progression in hemolytic anemias. During hemolysis, specialized bone marrow-derived macrophages with a high heme-metabolism capacity orchestrate disease adaptation by removing damaged erythrocytes and heme-protein complexes from the blood and supporting iron recycling for erythropoiesis. Here, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing with RNA velocity analysis of GM-CSF-supplemented mouse bone marrow cultures to assess myeloid differentiation under heme stress. We found that heme-activated NRF2 signaling shifted the differentiation trajectories of cells towards antioxidant, iron-recycling macrophages at the expense of dendritic cells, as these cells were selectively deficient in heme-exposed bone marrow cultures. Heme eliminated the capacity of GM-CSF-supplemented bone marrow cultures to activate antigen-specific T cells. The generation of functionally competent dendritic cells was restored by NRF2 loss. The heme-induced phenotype was reproduced in hemolytic mice with sickle cell disease and spherocytosis and associated with reduced dendritic cell functions in the spleen. Our data provide a novel mechanistic underpinning how hemolytic stress may provoke hyposplenism-related secondary immunodeficiency, which is a critical determinant of mortality in patients with genetic hemolytic anemias.
Project description:Heme is an erythrocyte-derived toxin that drives disease progression in hemolytic anemias. During hemolysis, specialized bone marrow-derived macrophages with a high heme-metabolism capacity orchestrate disease adaptation by removing damaged erythrocytes and heme-protein complexes from the blood and supporting iron recycling for erythropoiesis. Here, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing with RNA velocity analysis of GM-CSF-supplemented mouse bone marrow cultures to assess myeloid differentiation under heme stress. We found that heme-activated NRF2 signaling shifted the differentiation trajectories of cells towards antioxidant, iron-recycling macrophages at the expense of dendritic cells, as these cells were selectively deficient in heme-exposed bone marrow cultures. Heme eliminated the capacity of GM-CSF-supplemented bone marrow cultures to activate antigen-specific T cells. The generation of functionally competent dendritic cells was restored by NRF2 loss. The heme-induced phenotype was reproduced in hemolytic mice with sickle cell disease and spherocytosis and associated with reduced dendritic cell functions in the spleen. Our data provide a novel mechanistic underpinning how hemolytic stress may provoke hyposplenism-related secondary immunodeficiency, which is a critical determinant of mortality in patients with genetic hemolytic anemias.
Project description:Heme is an essential iron-containing cofactor synthesized in mitochondria through a conserved eight-step enzymatic pathway. Cells have been thought to manage their own heme supply independently. However, over 1,000 proteins contribute to the production, transport, and regulation of the cofactor. During terminal erythroid differentiation, cells lose their mitochondria yet continue to make hemoglobin, implying a non-canonical, cell-nonautonomous heme source. We show that under stress, erythroid precursors import heme through the permease Heme Responsive Gene 1 (HRG1), which localizes to the plasma membrane and accumulates during stress erythropoiesis, an accelerated production of red blood cells outside the bone marrow in response to anemia. HRG1 loss impaired heme uptake, inhibited terminal erythroid differentiation, and caused anemia. With beta-thalassemia mice, partial loss of HRG1 improved ineffective erythropoiesis, underscoring the importance of balanced heme import. These findings reveal intercellular heme sharing and identify HRG1 as a potential therapeutic target in hemoglobinopathies.
Project description:Heme is an essential iron-containing cofactor synthesized in mitochondria through a conserved eight-step enzymatic pathway. Cells have been thought to manage their own heme supply independently. However, over 1,000 proteins contribute to the production, transport, and regulation of the cofactor. During terminal erythroid differentiation, cells lose their mitochondria yet continue to make hemoglobin, implying a non-canonical, cell-nonautonomous heme source. We show that under stress, erythroid precursors import heme through the permease Heme Responsive Gene 1 (HRG1), which localizes to the plasma membrane and accumulates during stress erythropoiesis, an accelerated production of red blood cells outside the bone marrow in response to anemia. HRG1 loss impaired heme uptake, inhibited terminal erythroid differentiation, and caused anemia. With beta-thalassemia mice, partial loss of HRG1 improved ineffective erythropoiesis, underscoring the importance of balanced heme import. These findings reveal intercellular heme sharing and identify HRG1 as a potential therapeutic target in hemoglobinopathies.