title: Selective binding of RGMc/hemojuvelin, a key protein in systemic iron metabolism, to BMP-2 and neogenin.
abstract: Juvenile hemochromatosis is a severe and rapidly progressing hereditary disorder of iron overload, and it is caused primarily by defects in the gene encoding repulsive guidance molecule c/hemojuvelin (RGMc/HJV), a recently identified protein that undergoes a complicated biosynthetic pathway in muscle and liver, leading to cell membrane-linked single-chain and heterodimeric species, and two secreted single-chain isoforms. RGMc modulates expression of the hepatic iron regulatory factor, hepcidin, potentially through effects on signaling by the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) family of soluble growth factors. To date, little is known about specific pathogenic defects in disease-causing RGMc/HJV proteins. Here we identify functional abnormalities in three juvenile hemochromatosis-linked mutants. Using a combination of approaches, we first show that BMP-2 could interact in biochemical assays with single-chain RGMc species, and also could bind to cell-associated RGMc. Two mouse RGMc amino acid substitution mutants, D165E and G313V (corresponding to human D172E and G320V), also could bind BMP-2, but less effectively than wild-type RGMc, while G92V (human G99V) could not. In contrast, the membrane-spanning protein, neogenin, a receptor for the related molecule, RGMa, preferentially bound membrane-associated heterodimeric RGMc and was able to interact on cells only with wild-type RGMc and G92V. Our results show that different isoforms of RGMc/HJV may play unique physiological roles through defined interactions with distinct signaling proteins and demonstrate that, in some disease-linked RGMc mutants, these interactions are defective.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239-3098, USA.
authors.forename: Robin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kuns-Hashimoto
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kuninger
authors.forename: Mahta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nili
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rotwein
mesh_terms: D055396:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2; D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002460:Cell Line; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D058851:GPI-Linked Proteins; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology; D006432:Hemochromatosis / Q000235:genetics; D000071020:Hemochromatosis Protein; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism*; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D009154:Mutation; D011485:Protein Binding; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C525718:BMP2 protein, human; C525719:Bmp2 protein, mouse; D055396:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2; D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins; D058851:GPI-Linked Proteins; C481006:HJV protein, human; D000071020:Hemochromatosis Protein; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; C091279:neogenin; D007501:Iron