Erythroferrone: An Erythroid Regulator of Hepcidin and Iron Metabolism

Hepcidin and Erythroferrone Correlate with Hepatic Iron Transporters in Rats Supplemented with Multispecies Probiotics

The influence of probiotic supplementation on iron metabolism remains poorly investigated. However, a range of studies, especially on Lactobacillus plantarum 299v (Lp229v), have indicated a possible positive impact of probiotics on iron absorption. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of multistrain probiotic supply on iron balance. Thirty Wistar rats were randomized into three groups: placebo (KK group), and multistrain probiotic per os in a daily dose of 2.5 × 10⁹ colony forming units (CFU) (PA group) or 1 × 10¹⁰ CFU (PB group). Multistrain probiotic consisted of nine bacterial strains: Bifidobacterium bifidum W23, B. lactis W51, B. lactis W52, Lactobacillus acidophilus W37, L. brevis W63, L. casei W56, L. salivarius W24, Lactococcus lactis W19, and Lc. lactis W58, in equal proportions. After six weeks, blood and organ samples were collected. No differences were found between the three groups in terms of serum concentrations of hepcidin (HEPC), lactoferrin (LTF), homocysteine (HCY), ferritin (Ft), or erythroferrone (ErFe), or in liver content of divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1), transferrin receptors 1 and 2 (TfR), or ZRT/IRT-like protein 14 (ZIP14) proteins. In the overall sample, positive correlations were noted between the serum concentrations of hepcidin and lactoferrin, and hepcidin and ferritin; serum concentration of hepcidin and DMT1 and TfR1 in the liver; and serum concentration of erythroferrone and TfR2 in the liver. The correlations of serum hepcidin and erythroferrone with liver DMT1 and TfR represent significant mechanisms of Fe homeostasis. Our study has shown that multistrain probiotic supplementation used in the experiment did not disrupt the biochemical and hepatic regulatory processes of Fe balance and did not demonstrate significant influence on selected parameters of Fe metabolism.

Analytical and biological assessment of circulating human erythroferrone

BACKGROUND

Erythroferrone (ERFE) is an erythroid hormone putatively involved in stress erythropoiesis. Its regional clearance and circulating form in humans, as well as levels in normal health and coronary disease remain unclear.

METHODS

To establish a reference interval, ERFE was measured in 155 healthy volunteers using the Intrinsic LifeSciences ELISA. To identify trans-organ gradients in ERFE, regional blood sampling was undertaken in patients (n = 13) undergoing clinically indicated cardiac catheterisation. The Intrinsic ELISA was assessed for reproducibility, stability, linearity and possible cross-reactivity, interference and anticoagulant effects. Circulating forms of ERFE were evaluated by HPLC.

RESULTS

In healthy individuals, the median concentration of ERFE was 0.51 ng/mL (IQR: 0.12-1.25), with men (n = 78) having higher levels than women (n = 77) (0.67 vs 0.32 ng/mL, p = 0.0001). ERFE concentrations in trans-organ sampling revealed no clear organ of clearance or production. Samples with high endogenous ERFE levels were suppressed by haemoglobin (≥2 g/L), bilirubin (≥200 µmol/L), lipaemia (>1 g/L), and freeze thawing (≥2 cycles), but this was not observed with low ERFE concentrations. Endogenous ERFE immunoreactivity was 46% higher in EDTA plasma compared with serum and lithium heparin plasma. On SE-HPLC, ERFE eluted as intact and cleaved forms.

CONCLUSION

We provide a useful reference range for ERFE in EDTA plasma. We found no specific site of secretion or clearance. The Intrinsic ELISA performed adequately but is limited by interference and stability when endogenous levels are high. Circulating forms are multiple and complex.

The BMP-SMAD pathway mediates the impaired hepatic iron metabolism associated with the ERFE-A260S variant

The erythroferrone (ERFE) is the erythroid regulator of hepatic iron metabolism by suppressing the expression of hepcidin. Congenital dyserythropoietic anemia type II (CDAII) is an inherited hyporegenerative anemia due to biallelic mutations in the SEC23B gene. Patients with CDAII exhibit marked clinical variability, even among individuals sharing the same pathogenic variants. The ERFE expression in CDAII is increased and related to abnormal erythropoiesis. We identified a recurrent low-frequency variant, A260S, in the ERFE gene in 12.5% of CDAII patients with a severe phenotype. We demonstrated that the ERFE-A260S variant leads to increased levels of ERFE, with subsequently marked impairment of iron regulation pathways at the hepatic level. Functional characterization of ERFE-A260S in the hepatic cell system demonstrated its modifier role in iron overload by impairing the BMP/SMAD pathway. We herein described for the first time an ERFE polymorphism as a genetic modifier variant. This was with a mild effect on disease expression, under a multifactorial-like model, in a condition of iron-loading anemia due to ineffective erythropoiesis.