title: Pathophysiology of thrombocytopenia and anemia in mice lacking transcription factor NF-E2.
abstract: Expression of the p45 subunit of transcription factor NF-E2 is restricted to selected blood cell lineages, including megakaryocytes and developing erythrocytes. Mice lacking p45 NF-E2 show profound thrombocytopenia, resulting from a late arrest in megakaryocyte differentiation, and a number of red blood cell defects, including anisocytosis and hypochromia. Here we report results of studies aimed to explore the pathophysiology of these abnormalities. Mice lacking NF-E2 produce very few platelet-like particles that display highly disorganized ultrastructure and respond poorly to platelet agonists, features consistent with the usually lethal hemorrhage in these animals. Thrombocytopenia was evident during fetal life and was not corrected by splenectomy in adults. Surprisingly, fetal NF-E2-deficient megakaryocyte progenitors showed reduced proliferation potential in vitro. Thus, NF-E2 is required for regulated megakaryocyte growth as well as for differentiation into platelets. All the erythroid abnormalities were reproduced in lethally irradiated wild-type recipients of hematopoietic cells derived from NF-E2-null fetuses. Whole blood from mice lacking p45 NF-E2 showed numerous small red blood cell fragments; however, survival of intact erythrocytes in vivo was indistinguishable from control mice. Considered together, these observations indicate a requirement for NF-E2 in generating normal erythrocytes. Despite impressive splenomegaly at baseline, mice lacking p45 NF-E2 survived splenectomy, which resulted in increased reticulocyte numbers. This reveals considerable erythroid reserve within extra-splenic sites of hematopoiesis and suggests a role for the spleen in clearing abnormal erythrocytes. Our findings address distinct aspects of the requirements for NF-E2 in blood cell homeostasis and establish its roles in proper differentiation of megakaryocytes and erythrocytes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California School of Medicine and Veterans Administration Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Levin
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: G R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Villeval
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lecine
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Burstein
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Shivdasani
mesh_terms: D000740:Anemia / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology; D000818:Animals; D019070:Cell Lineage / Q000235:genetics; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D050981:Erythroid-Specific DNA-Binding Factors; D004920:Erythropoiesis / Q000235:genetics; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D050983:NF-E2 Transcription Factor; D050984:NF-E2 Transcription Factor, p45 Subunit; D013921:Thrombocytopenia / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D050981:Erythroid-Specific DNA-Binding Factors; D050983:NF-E2 Transcription Factor; D050984:NF-E2 Transcription Factor, p45 Subunit; C494693:Nfe2 protein, mouse; D014157:Transcription Factors