title: Decrease of Smad4 gene expression in patients with essential thrombocythaemia may cause an escape from suppression of megakaryopoiesis by transforming growth factor-beta1.
abstract: Essential thrombocythaemia (ET) is characterized by the abnormal and sustained proliferation of megakaryocytes. The mechanism for this lineage-specific expansion in ET, remains unclear. We have previously reported that transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) is involved in negative feedback regulation of megakaryopoiesis in both healthy volunteers (HV) and patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). The present study found that megakaryocyte colony-forming units (CFU-MK) of ET patients were less sensitive to TGF-beta1 than those of HV. The expression of Smad4 (Sma- and Mad-related protein-4) in CFU-MK of ET patients was reduced in comparison with that of HV. Finally, to confirm that the impaired TGF-beta1 sensitivity was caused by reduced expression of Smad4, we examined Smad4-transfected CFU-MK from ET patients in the presence of TGF-beta1, and verified that the transfectants were indeed as susceptible as CFU-MK from HV to TGF-beta1. Thus it was surmised that one of the mechanisms for impaired sensitivity of CFU-MK to TGF-beta1 is the reduced expression of Smad4.
authors.affiliation: Fourth Department of Internal Medicine, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, South-1, West-16, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8543, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kuroda
authors.forename: Takuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsunaga
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Terui
authors.forename: Ikuta
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Rishu
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Takimoto
authors.forename: Koshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fujikawa
authors.forename: Tetsuji
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takayama
authors.forename: Junji
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Yasuo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hirayama
authors.forename: Sumio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sakamaki
authors.forename: Kyuhei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kohda
authors.forename: Yoshiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Niitsu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008533:Megakaryocytes / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D012190:Retroviridae / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015398:Signal Transduction; D051899:Smad2 Protein; D051900:Smad3 Protein; D051901:Smad4 Protein; D013920:Thrombocythemia, Essential / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014162:Transfection; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000502:physiology*; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C497782:SMAD2 protein, human; C497790:SMAD3 protein, human; C497796:SMAD4 protein, human; D051899:Smad2 Protein; D051900:Smad3 Protein; D051901:Smad4 Protein; C508960:TGFB1 protein, human; D015534:Trans-Activators; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1