Altered body iron distribution and microcytosis in mice deficient in iron regulatory protein 2 (IRP2)

Iron regulatory protein 2 (IRP2)-deficient mice have been reported to suffer from late-onset neurodegeneration by an unknown mechanism. We report that young adult Irp2-/- mice display signs of iron mismanagement within the central iron recycling pathway in the mammalian body, the liver-bone marrow-spleen axis, with altered body iron distribution and compromised hematopoiesis. In comparison with wild-type littermates, Irp2-/- mice are mildly microcytic with reduced serum hemoglobin levels and hematocrit. Serum iron and transferrin saturation are unchanged, and hence microcytosis is not due to an overt decrease in systemic iron availability. The liver and duodenum are iron loaded, while the spleen is iron deficient, associated with a reduced expression of the iron exporter ferroportin. A reduction in transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1) mRNA levels in the bone marrow of Irp2-/- mice can plausibly explain the microcytosis by an intrinsic defect in erythropoiesis due to a failure to adequately protect TfR1 mRNA against degradation. This study links a classic regulator of cellular iron metabolism to systemic iron homeostasis and erythropoietic TfR1 expression. Furthermore, this work uncovers aspects of mammalian iron metabolism that can or cannot be compensated for by the expression of IRP1. (Blood. 2005;106: 2580-2589)

Generation of conditional alleles of the murineiron regulatory protein (IRP)-1 and -2 genes

Central aspects of cellular iron metabolism are controlled by IRP1 and IRP2, which are ubiquitously expressed in mouse organs and cells. Total and constitutive deficiency of both IRPs causes embryonic lethality in the mouse. To bypass the early lethality and to study organ-specific and/or temporal functions of IRP1 and/or IRP2 we generated Irp1 and Irp2 conditional alleles. We used mouse lines where a betaGeo gene trap construct was inserted into the second intron of the Irp1 and the Irp2 gene, generating hypomorphic alleles by interrupting the corresponding open reading frame near the amino-termini. The gene trap cassettes are flanked by Frt sites and were co-inserted with LoxP sites flanking exon 3. Flp-mediated removal of the gene trap construct generates floxed alleles with wildtype functions. For both Irp genes, Cre-assisted deletion of exon 3 generates complete null alleles that, in the case of IRP2, are associated with altered body iron distribution and compromised hematopoiesis. If not removed, the gene trap construct causes partially penetrant embryonic lethality unrelated to IRP deficiency when inserted within the Irp1 but not the Irp2 locus. We discuss the implications for functional genomics in the mouse.

Targeted mutagenesis of the murine IRP1 and IRP2 genes reveals context-dependent RNA processing differences in vivo

We report the targeted mutagenesis of the murine iron regulatory protein (IRP)-1 and IRP2 genes, respectively, with a classical gene trap construct. Insertion of the targeting cassette into the second intron of either gene by homologous recombination interrupts their open reading frames near the N termini. Mice that are homozygous for the correctly modified IRP1 or IRP2 alleles, respectively, display a strong reduction (90%, IRP1(-/-)) or nondetectable levels (IRP2(-/-)) of the targeted proteins. Interestingly, the pre-mRNAs transcribed from the identical targeting cassettes are processed differently within the two different contexts. Detailed analysis of the respective products identifies the choice of alternative splice and 3' end processing sites in the same tissues in vivo. We discuss the implications for the understanding of RNA processing and for targeting strategies for functional genomics in the mouse.

A novel transport pathway for a yeast plasma membrane protein encoded by a localized mRNA

Generally, plasma membrane (PM) proteins are cotranslationally inserted into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and travel in vesicles via the Golgi apparatus to the PM. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the polytopic membrane protein Ist2p is encoded by an mRNA that is localized to the cortex of daughter cells. It has been suggested that IST2 mRNA localization leads to the accumulation of the protein at the PM of daughter cells. Since small- and medium-sized daughter cells only contain cortical, but not perinuclear ER, this implies the local translation of Ist2p specifically at the cortical ER. Here, we show that localization of constitutively expressed IST2 mRNA is required for delivery of Ist2p to the PM of daughter, but not mother cells and that it does not result in daughter-specific Ist2p accumulation. In contrast to a PM-located hexose transporter (Hxt1p) that follows the standard secretory pathway, the trafficking of Ist2p is independent of myosin-mediated vesicular transport. Furthermore, colocalization experiments in mutants of the secretory pathway demonstrate that trafficking of Ist2p does not require the classical secretory machinery. These data suggest the existence of a novel trafficking pathway connecting specialized domains of the ER with the PM.

Ribonucleoprotein-dependent localization of the yeast class V myosin Myo4p

Class V myosins are motor proteins with functions in vesicle transport, organelle segregation, and RNA localization. Although they have been extensively studied, only little is known about the regulation of their spatial distribution. Here we demonstrate that a GFP fusion protein of the budding yeast class V myosin Myo4p accumulates at the bud cortex and is a component of highly dynamic cortical particles. Bud-specific enrichment depends on Myo4p's association with its cargo, a ribonucleoprotein complex containing the RNA-binding protein She2p. Cortical accumulation of Myo4p at the bud tip can be explained by a transient retention mechanism that requires SHE2 and, apparently, localized mRNAs bound to She2p. A mutant She2 protein that is unable to recognize its cognate target mRNA, ASH1, fails to localize Myo4p. Mutant She2p accumulates inside the nucleus, indicating that She2p shuttles between the nucleus and cytoplasm and is exported in an RNA-dependent manner. Consistently, inhibition of nuclear mRNA export results in nuclear accumulation of She2p and cytoplasmic Myo4p mislocalization. Loss of She2p can be complemented by direct targeting of a heterologous lacZ mRNA to a complex of Myo4p and its associated adaptor She3p, suggesting that She2p's function in Myo4p targeting is to link an mRNA to the motor complex.

Characterization of Candida albicans ASH1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Several fungi can undergo a dimorphic switch from yeast-like to hyphal or pseudohyphal forms in response to environmental cues. The Saccharomyces cerevisae GATA-type transcription factor Ash1p is required for diploid pseudohyphal differentiation during nitrogen starvation. In haploid cells, Ash1p is essential for the cell-type specific repression of the HO gene. We cloned CaAsh1, a putative homologue of Ash1p from the pathogen Candida albicans. Although the overall similarity of CaAsh1p and Ash1p is modest, both proteins show significant homology in their carboxy termini. Upon expression in budding yeast, CaASH1 mRNA is asymmetrically sorted during cell division, which is similar to the fate of ASH1 mRNA. Cell-specific CaASH1 mRNA localization results in an asymmetric CaAsh1 protein distribution and an accumulation of the protein in daughter cell nuclei. CaAsh1 is unable to repress HO expression in S. cerevisiae but can replace ScAsh1 function during pseudohyphal growth. This suggests a partial functional similarity of the two Ash1 proteins.

She2p, a novel RNA-binding protein tethers ASH1 mRNA to the Myo4p myosin motor via She3p

RNA localization is a widespread mechanism to achieve localized protein synthesis. In budding yeast, localization of ASH1 mRNA controls daughter cell-specific accumulation of the transcriptional regulator Ash1p, which determines mating type switching. ASH1 mRNA localization depends on four independently acting sequences ('zipcodes') within the mRNA. In addition, the class V myosin Myo4p and a set of She proteins with as yet unknown function are essential for ASH1 localization. Here we show that She2p is a novel RNA-binding protein that binds specifically to ASH1 mRNA in vivo and to ASH1 RNA zip codes in vitro. She2p can interact with She3 protein via She3p's C-terminus and becomes localized to the daughter cell tip upon ASH1 expression. The N-terminal coiled-coil domain of She3p is required to form an RNA-independent complex with the heavy chain of the myosin motor protein Myo4p. She2p and She3p are the first examples of adapters for tethering a localized mRNA to the motor protein and might serve as prototypes for RNA-motor protein adapters.