title: Neuroprotective properties of a novel, non-haematopoietic agonist of the erythropoietin receptor.
abstract: Erythropoietin, a member of the type 1 cytokine superfamily, controls proliferation and differentiation of erythroid progenitor cells through binding to and dimerization of the erythropoietin receptor. Both erythropoietin and its receptor are also expressed in the central nervous system, where they are involved in tissue protection. However, the use of erythropoietin as a neuroprotective agent may be hampered by its erythropoietic activity. Therefore, developing non-haematopoietic erythropoietin mimetics is important. Based on the crystal structure of the complex of erythropoietin and its receptor, we designed a peptide, termed Epotris, corresponding to the C α-helix region (amino-acid residues 92-111) of human erythropoietin. The peptide specifically bound to the erythropoietin receptor and promoted neurite outgrowth and survival of primary neurons with the same efficiency as erythropoietin, but with 10(3)-fold lower potency. Knockdown of the erythropoietin receptor or interference with its downstream signalling inhibited the Epotris-induced neuritogenic and pro-survival effect. Similarly to erythropoietin, Epotris penetrated the blood-brain barrier. Moreover, treatment with the peptide attenuated seizures, decreased mortality and reduced neurodegeneration in an in vivo model of kainic acid-induced neurotoxicity. In contrast to erythropoietin, Epotris did not stimulate erythropoiesis upon chronic administration. Thus, Epotris is a novel neuroprotective non-haematopoietic erythropoietin mimetic that may offer new opportunities for the treatment of neurological disorders.
authors.affiliation: Protein Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. stasya@sund.ku.dk
authors.forename: Stanislava
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pankratova
authors.forename: Darya
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kiryushko
authors.forename: Katrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sonn
authors.forename: Vladislav
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Soroka
authors.forename: Lene B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Køhler
authors.forename: Mette
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rathje
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: Kamil
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gotfryd
authors.forename: Ole
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Clausen
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zharkovsky
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bock
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Berezin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D002199:Capillary Permeability / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004920:Erythropoiesis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D055785:Gene Knockdown Techniques; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D016501:Neurites / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000737:chemistry / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D017467:Receptors, Erythropoietin / Q000819:agonists* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012640:Seizures / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality
chemical_list: D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D017467:Receptors, Erythropoietin; C552536:epotris; D004921:Erythropoietin