ALBERT

Description: Loss-of-function mutations in genes for heme biosynthetic enzymes can give rise to congenital porphyrias, eight forms of which have been described. The genetic penetrance of the porphyrias is clinically variable, underscoring the role of additional causative, contributing, and modifier genes. We previously discovered that the mitochondrial AAA+ unfoldase ClpX promotes heme biosynthesis by activation of δ-aminolevulinate synthase (ALAS), which catalyzes the first step of heme synthesis. CLPX has also been reported to mediate heme-induced turnover of ALAS. Here we report a dominant mutation in the ATPase active site of human CLPX, p.Gly298Asp, that results in pathological accumulation of the heme biosynthesis intermediate protoporphyrin IX (PPIX). Amassing of PPIX in erythroid cells promotes erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) in the affected family. The mutation inCLPXinactivates its ATPase activity, resulting in coassembly of mutant and WT protomers to form an enzyme with reduced activity. The presence of low-activity CLPX increases the posttranslational stability of ALAS, causing increased ALAS protein and ALA levels, leading to abnormal accumulation of PPIX. Our results thus identify an additional molecular mechanism underlying the development of EPP and further our understanding of the multiple mechanisms by which CLPX controls heme metabolism.

Description: Red cells synthesize large amounts of heme during terminal differentiation. Central to this process is the transport and trafficking of heme synthesis intermediates within the cell. Despite the importance of transport during heme synthesis, the molecules involved in this process are largely unknown. In a screen for genes that are upregulated during erythroid terminal differentiation, we identified Tmem14c, a predicted multi-pass transmembrane protein as an essential component of the porphyrin metabolism pathway. Here, we report that Tmem14c facilitates the synthesis of mitochondrial protoporphyrin IX from coproporphyrinogen III and is thus required for heme synthesis. Tmem14c is a mitochondrial inner-membrane protein enriched in vertebrate hematopoietic tissues and is required for terminal erythropoiesis. Tmem14c gene-trap mouse embryos are severely anemic and mostly die by E13.5 (Fig. A). Fetal liver erythroid cells derived from gene-trap embryos experience maturation arrest. shRNA silencing of Tmem14c in Friend murine erythroleukemia (MEL) cells results in a significant decrease in de-novo heme synthesis. The biochemical defect is due to a decrease in mitochondrial protoporphyrin IX synthesis, while cytoplasmic porphyrin levels remain normal (Fig. B). The heme synthesis defect in Tmem14c-silenced MEL cells is complemented with a protoporphyrin IX analog. These data show the role of Tmem14c in regulating the terminal steps in mitochondrial porphyrin trafficking. Our findings collectively demonstrate that Tmem14c is required for the transport of mitochondrial porphyrins in developing erythroid cells. Due to its inner-mitochondrial localization and its relative proximity to heme synthetic enzymes coproporphyrinogen oxidase and protoporphyrinogen oxidase (Rhee et al., 2013 Science), Tmem14c can function as a molecular adaptor that facilitates the interaction of proteins involved in porphyrin transport, or as a protoporphyrinogen IX transporter (Fig. C). The identification of Tmem14c as an essential regulator of porphyrin transport and heme synthesis provides a novel genetic tool for exploring erythropoiesis and disorders of heme synthesis such as porphyria and anemia. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Description: Red cells synthesize large quantities of heme during terminal differentiation. Central to erythropoiesis is the transport and trafficking of iron within the cell. Despite the importance of iron transport during erythroid heme synthesis, the molecules involved in intracellular trafficking of iron are largely unknown. In a screen for genes that are up-regulated during erythroid terminal differentiation, we identified FAM210B, a predicted multi-pass transmembrane mitochondrial protein as an essential component of mitochondrial iron transport during erythroid differentiation. In zebrafish and mice, Fam210b mRNA is enriched in differentiating erythroid cells and liver (fetal and adult), which are tissues that require large amounts of iron for heme synthesis. Here, we report that FAM210B facilitates mitochondrial iron import during erythroid differentiation and is essential for hemoglobin synthesis. Zebrafish are anemic when fam210b is silenced using anti-sense morpholinos (Fig. A). CRISPR knockout of Fam210b caused a heme synthesis defect in differentiating Friend murine erythroleukemia (MEL) cells. PPIX levels in Fam210b deficient cells are normal, demonstrating that Fam210b does not participate in synthesis of the heme tetrapyrrole ring. Consistent with this result, supplementation of Fam210b deficient MEL cells with either aminolevulinic acid, the first committed substrate of the heme synthesis pathway or a chemical analog of protoporphyrin IX failed to chemically complement the heme synthesis defect. While Fam210b was not required for basal housekeeping heme synthesis, Fam210b deficientcells showed defective total cellular and mitochondrial iron uptake during erythroid differentiation (Fig. B). As a result, Fam210b deficient cells had defective hemoglobinization. Supplementation of Fam210b-/- MEL cells with non-transferrin iron chelates restored erythroid differentiation and hemoglobin synthesis; whereas, similar chemical complementation could not be achieved in the Tmem14c-/- cells, which have a primary defect in tetrapyrrole transport. (Fig. C). Our findings reveal that FAM210B is required for optimal mitochondrial iron import during erythroid differentiation for hemoglobin synthesis. It may therefore function as a genetic modifier for mitochondriopathies, anemias or porphyrias. Figure 1. Figure 1. Disclosures Bauer: Biogen: Research Funding; Editas Medicine: Consultancy. Orkin:Editas Inc.: Consultancy.

Description: Abstract 607 Developing erythrocytes acquire large amounts of iron through the transferrin (Tf) cycle for heme synthesis. The Tf cycle involves unidirectional transport of transferrin-transferrin receptor 1 (Tf-TfR1) complexes from the plasma membrane to the early and recycling endosomes (Figure). Besides the requirement for the basic trafficking machinery, specific sorting molecules exist to ensure the efficient re-cycling of Tf-TfR1 complexes and targeted iron delivery. The trafficking of TfR1 from recycling endosomes to the cell surface was shown to be mediated by Sec15L1, an exocyst component, as its mutation causes anemia in the hemoglobin deficit (hbd) mouse. The sorting mechanisms responsible for earlier trafficking steps in intracellular transferrin cycle, however, are poorly understood. Here we report that sorting nexin 3 (SNX3), a cargo-specific retromer component, facilitates the endocytic recycling of TfR1, and thus, is required for the proper delivery of iron to erythroid progenitors for heme synthesis (Figure). Snx3 is highly expressed in hematopoietic tissues of zebrafish and mouse. Morpholino-mediated knockdown of snx3 in zebrafish embryos leads to a profound anemia. shRNA silencing of Snx3 in mouse primary fetal liver cells and mouse Friend erythroleukemia (MEL) cells inhibits the production of hemoglobin. We demonstrate that these defects are due to impaired transferrin-mediated iron uptake and delivery to the mitochondria. The impaired iron assimilation can be complemented with non-transferrin bound iron chelates, such as Fe-SIH (salicylaldehyde isonicotinoyl hydrazone). Furthermore, we show that SNX3 may act through direct physical interaction with TfR1 to sort Tf-TfR1 complexes to the recycling endosomes. Our data from genetic, biochemical, and chemical biological studies collectively show that SNX3 regulates TfR1 trafficking and iron homeostasis in developing erythrocytes. The identification of SNX3 as an essential co-regulatory protein that regulates Tf-mediated iron delivery for heme synthesis provides a new genetic tool for exploring human disorders of iron metabolism, such as the hypochromic anemias, and erythropoiesis. * Cell Metabolism (in revision). Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Description: In multicellular organisms, the mechanisms by which diverse cell types acquire distinct amino acids and how cellular function adapts to their availability are fundamental questions in biology. Here, we find that maturing erythroid cells increase L-leucine uptake via transcriptional up-regulation of the L-leucine transporter, LAT3. Inadequate L-leucine uptake by L-leucine starvation or LAT3 inhibition triggers a specific reduction in hemoglobin production in zebrafish embryos and murine erythroid cells via the mTORC1/4E-BP pathway. CRISPR-mediated deletion of 4E-BPs in murine erythroid cells renders them resistant to mTORC1 and LAT3 inhibition, markedly restoring hemoglobinization. Our complementary results demonstrate that globins are direct translational mTORC1 targets during normal development. This pathway is distinct from the previously reported translational regulatory mechanisms mediated by the heme-regulated inhibitor (HRI) kinase or by severe amino acid deprivation via the general control nonderepressible 2 (GCN2) kinase. We propose that, in red cells, mTORC1 serves as a homeostatic sensor coupling hemoglobin production to sufficient L-leucine uptake. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Description: Red cells synthesize large quantities of heme during terminal differentiation. Central to erythropoiesis is heme synthesis, which requires tight coordination between mitochondrial iron import and synthesis of protoporphyrin IX (PPIX). Most individuals with erythropoietic porphyria carry loss of function mutations in FECH, or gain of function mutations in ALAS2, resulting in protoporphyrin IX accumulation. We performed whole exome sequencing to identify novel mutations in an individual exhibiting symptoms in whom FECH and ALAS2 mutations were absent (Fig. A, asterisk). We identified a novel CLPX point mutation in this individual (III.2), her father (II.4) and her paternal uncle (II.2), who also exhibited increased porphyrin levels relative to healthy individuals. The individual's mother was healthy and had a wild-type CLPX genotype (Fig. A). CLPX encodes a mitochondrial protein unfoldase that partially unfolds ALA synthase (ALAS) to allow efficient incorporation of its cofactor, pyridoxal phosphate (Kardon et al. 2015 Cell). This greatly stimulates the synthesis of d-aminolevulinic acid (ALA), the first step in heme biosynthesis. To determine if the CLPX mutation was causative for porphyria, we expressed mutant CLPX in HEK293T embryonic kidney cells and Friend mouse erythroleukemia (MEL) cells. Mutant CLPX expression (MUT) caused a significant increase in ALAS1 (non-erythroid isoform) (Fig. B) and ALAS2 (erythroid isoform) (Fig. C) activity relative to control and wild-type CLPX expressing samples (WT). This increase in ALAS enzymatic activity translated to an increase in PPIX levels (Fig. D, E), consistent with the porphyria phenotype observed in the individuals in this study. We observed that MUT-expressing samples had increased levels of ALAS1 and ALAS2. To determine if mutant CLPX altered ALAS protein stability, we transfected WT or MUT CLPX into HEK293T and MEL cells. Cells were treated with cycloheximide to block translation. We quantitated degradation rate of ALAS by western blot analysis of cell lysates obtained at several time points after cycloheximide treatment (chase). Expression of MUT CLPX stabilized both ALAS1 and ALAS2, accounting for the increase in ALAS protein levels, activity and downstream production of PPIX. The control of ALAS enzymatic activity and protein stability by CLPX unveils a novel cause of protoporphyria and insights revealing the ways in which mitochondrial physiology and heme synthesis are interdependent. Our results reveal an important regulatory node where the mitochondrial protein quality control machinery intersects with a key step in heme synthesis and provides an important genetic tool for understanding the pathology of porphyrias. Figure 1. Figure 1. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Description: Erythropoietin (EPO) signaling is critical to many processes essential to terminal erythropoiesis. Despite the centrality of iron metabolism to erythropoiesis, the mechanisms by which EPO regulates iron status are not well understood. To better understand these regulatory mechanisms, we profiled gene expression in EPO-treated fetal liver cells to identify novel iron regulatory genes (Figure A). We determined that FAM210B, a mitochondrial inner membrane protein, was essential for hemoglobinization, proliferation, and enucleation during terminal erythroid maturation (Figure B). Fam210b deficiency led to defects in mitochondrial iron uptake, heme synthesis, and iron-sulfur cluster formation (Figure C). These defects were corrected with a lipid-soluble small molecule iron transporter in Fam210b-deficient murine erythroid cells and zebrafish morphants. Genetic complementation experiments revealed that FAM210B is not a mitochondrial iron transporter, but is required for optimal mitochondrial iron import during erythroid differentiation (Figure D). FAM210B is also required for optimal FECH activity in differentiating erythroid cells. As FAM210B interacts with the terminal enzymes of the heme synthesis pathway, we propose that FAM210B functions as an adaptor protein to facilitate the formation of an oligomeric mitochondrial iron transport complex, which is required for the increase in iron acquisition for heme synthesis during terminal erythropoiesis (Figure E). Collectively, our data reveal a novel mechanism by which EPO signaling regulates terminal erythropoiesis and iron metabolism. Figure. Figure. Disclosures Palis: Rubies Therapeutics: Consultancy.

Description: Differentiating erythroid cells synthesize large quantities of heme for hemoglobinization. While the transcriptional regulation and enzymatic mechanisms of the heme synthetic enzymes are well characterized, we lack mechanistic understanding of how their protein stability, cofactor incorporation and functional interactions with mitochondrial housekeeping proteins are regulated. These mechanisms can rapidly alter the rate of heme synthesis in response to external stimuli and metabolic requirements, and are critical for heme regulation within a tissue-specific and developmental context. CLPX, a mitochondrial protein unfoldase best understood for its function in a proteasome-like enzyme complex with the peptidase CLPP (the CLPXP ATP-dependent protease) plays a central role in regulation of mitochondrial protein turnover, is one such heme regulatory protein. CLPX activates yeast ALAS, which catalyzes the committed step of the heme synthesis pathway, by facilitating the incorporation of its cofactor, PLP, and is required for erythroid heme synthesis in zebrafish (Kardon et al. Cell 2015). Paradoxically, it regulates the turnover of ALAS1 and ALAS2 protein in vertebrate cell lines and appears to regulate the heme synthesis downstream of ALAS (Kubota et al. JBC 2016, Yien et al. PNAS 2017). However, it is not known if vertebrate ALAS was activated by ALAS, or if the requirement for CLPX in vertebrate heme synthesis was caused its regulation of ALAS activity (Figure A). To dissect the roles of CLPX in erythroid heme synthesis, we knocked out Clpxand Clpp in murine erythroleukemia (MEL) cells and assayed the activity, stability, and steady state levels of the heme synthesis enzymes, ALAS2 and FECH, which colocalize with ALAS in the mitochondrial matrix. Consistent with previous observations, Clpx -/- MEL cells had a heme defect, while Clpp -/-cells did not (Figure B). However, in contrast to previous observations in the yeast model, CLPX is not required for ALAS activation in erythroid cells, but plays a key role in regulating ALAS2 turnover in concert with the CLPP peptidase (Figure C). During erythroid differentiation, CLPP protein levels are decreased, stabilizing ALAS2 protein (Figure D). Although differentiating Clpx -/-and Clpp -/- MEL cells did not demonstrate any changes in ALAS2 turnover, likely because steady-state levels of CLPP protein were already decreased (Figure E), we observed an increase in steady-state ALAS2 protein levels and a dramatic increase in ALAS2 enzyme activity. In vitro mitochondrial iron transport/heme synthesis assays revealed a heme defect in Clpx -/-MEL cells, suggesting that CLPX plays a role in mitochondrial iron metabolism. Collectively, these data suggest a complex, differentiation-stage specific regulation of heme synthesis by the CLPXP proteolytic complex (Figure F). As Clpx -/- mouse embryos die by about E9.5 (mousephenotype.org), we dissected the in vivo role of Clpxin erythropoiesis by analyzing the phenotypes of clpxa and clpxb mutant zebrafish obtained from ZIRC. To accomplish this, we crossed clpxa and clpxb mutant zebrafish into Tg(lcr:GFP) zebrafish line in which erythroid cells are fluorescently labeled with GFP (Ganis et al Dev Biol 2012). We observed that clpxa mutant zebrafish had an early erythropoietic defect at 24 hpf that resolved at 48hpf; this developmental defect was not observed in clpxbmutant zebrafish. Benzidine staining of heme in mutant zebrafish revealed that while clpxa was dispensable for erythroid heme synthesis, clpxb was required for erythroid hemoglobinization (Figure G). Lastly, clpxbzebrafish mutants continued to be developmentally delayed and did not survive past 5 dpf. Collectively, our observations in cell lines and in the zebrafish model demonstrate that Clpx is essential for the maintenance of differentiated erythroid cells, as well as for the differentiation of the erythroid lineage. The control of heme synthesis and erythroid development by CLPX reveals how mitochondrial physiology and heme synthesis are interdependent. Our results reveal an important regulatory node where the mitochondrial protein quality control machinery intersects with key steps in heme synthesis. Further, our studies provide important genetic tools for dissecting these regulatory components in isolation as well as within the in vivocontext of erythropoiesis. Figure Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.