The erythropoietin receptor

Erythropoietin (EPO) is the primary regulator of erythropoiesis, and promotes the survival, proliferation, and differentiation of erythroid progenitor cells. The EPO receptor belongs to the same family of receptors as growth hormone, granulocyte-colony stimulating factor, granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor, and some interleukins. In the erythropoietic process, EPO induces homodimerization of the EPO receptor, which is located on the surface of erythroid progenitor cells. Dimerization activates the receptor-associated Janus kinase 2 via transphosphorylation. Specific tyrosines in the intracellular portion of the receptor are phosphorylated and serve as a docking site for intracellular proteins, including one of the signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT5). This results in activating various cascades of signal transduction. STAT5 enters the nucleus on phosphorylation, inducing the transcription of erythroid genes. Phosphatases dephosphorylate Janus kinase 2 and downregulate the EPO receptor. Erythropoietin receptor activation seems to exert its effect by inhibiting apoptosis rather than by affecting the commitment of erythroid lineage, although the mechanism by which this occurs is as yet unclear. Anemia in cancer is associated with excessive production of cytokines that inhibit EPO synthesis, thereby interfering with the normal erythropoietic process, which leads to a reduction in red blood cells and the ability to oxygenate tissue.

Deficiencies in pro-thyrotropin-releasing hormone processing and abnormalities in thermoregulation in Cpefat/fat mice

Cpe(fat/fat) mice are obese, diabetic, and infertile. They have a mutation in carboxypeptidase E (CPE), an enzyme that converts prohormone intermediates to bioactive peptides. The Cpe(fat) mutation leads to rapid degradation of the enzyme. To test whether pro-thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) conversion to TRH involves CPE, processing was examined in the Cpe(fat/fat) mouse. Hypothalamic TRH is depressed by at least 75% compared with wild-type controls. Concentrations of pro-TRH forms are increased in homozygotes. TRH-[Gly(4)-Lys(5)-Arg(6)] and TRH-[Gly(4)-Lys(5)] represent approximately 45% of the total TRH-like immunoreactivity in Cpe(fat/fat) mice; they constitute approximately 1% in controls. Levels of TRH-[Gly(4)] were depressed in homozygotes. Because the hypothalamus contains some TRH, another carboxypeptidase must be responsible for processing. Immunocytochemical studies indicate that TRH neurons contain CPE- and carboxypeptidase D-like immunoreactivity. Recombinant CPE or carboxypeptidase D can convert synthetic TRH-[Gly(4)-Lys(5)] and TRH-[Gly(4)-Lys(5)-Arg(6)] to TRH-[Gly(4)]. When Cpe(fat/fat) mice are exposed to cold, they cannot maintain their body temperatures, and this loss is associated with hypothalamic TRH depletion and reduction in thyroid hormone. These findings demonstrate that the Cpe(fat) mutation can affect not only carboxypeptidase activity but also endoproteolysis. Because Cpe(fat/fat) mice cannot sustain a cold challenge, and because alterations in the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis can affect metabolism, deficits in pro-TRH processing may contribute to the obese and diabetic phenotype in these mice.