title: Transgenic human alpha-hemoglobin stabilizing protein could partially relieve betaIVS-2-654-thalassemia syndrome in model mice.
abstract: Beta-thalassemia is an anemia caused by a relative excess of alpha-hemoglobin (alphaHb) due to absent or reduced beta-hemoglobin (betaHb) synthesis. In this study, we explore whether the introduction of alpha-hemoglobin stabilizing protein (AHSP), a chaperone protein for proper folding and stabilization of free alphaHb in red blood cells, thus aiding hemoglobin A (HbA) assembly, could relieve the pathogenic state of red blood cells in beta-thalassemia. For that, a human ahsp vector was constructed to generate transgenic human ahsp mice in a model of beta(IVS-2-654)-thalassemia by microinjecting the vector into fertilized eggs, resulting in the production of double heterozygous mice (h-ahsp(+)/beta(IVS-2-654+)). Real-time quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot analysis confirmed AHSP expression in three h-ahsp(+)/beta(IVS-2-654+) mice. Hematologic determination showed an improvement in the red blood cell indices of these h-ahsp(+)/beta(IVS-2-654+) mice. The red blood cell count and hemoglobin level were elevated to various extents as compared with their diseased siblings. A dramatic reduction in anisocytosis in the peripheral blood of h-ahsp(+)/beta(IVS-2-654+) mice was observed (16.2 +/- 4.6 vs. 30.0 +/- 5.2%). Few erythroid precursors appeared in the liver sinusoids of h-ahsp(+)/beta(IVS-2-654+) mice. Splenomegaly with extramedullary hematopoiesis was also ameliorated. Significantly, serum iron concentration was remarkably reduced as compared with that of h-ahsp(-)/beta(IVS-2-654+) mice (43.2 +/- 14.9 vs. 82.4 +/- 12.9 microM), and iron deposition in the liver was decreased in h-ahsp(+)/beta(IVS-2-654+) mice. All these results suggested amelioration of the anemia phenotype in h-ahsp(+)/beta(IVS-2-654+) mice after introduction of the ahsp gene. We therefore propose that an ahsp transgene could provide an adjuvant method for gene therapy of beta-thalassemia.
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Institute of Medical Genetics, Shanghai Children's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Baobin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yudan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: Xinbing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Zhaorui
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: Jingzhi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism; D006579:Heterozygote; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D018832:Molecular Chaperones / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D019076:Transgenes / Q000235:genetics*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D017086:beta-Thalassemia / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: C468768:AHSP protein, human; D001798:Blood Proteins; D006454:Hemoglobins; D018832:Molecular Chaperones