PUBLICATION

Metformin-induced suppression of Nemo-like kinase improves erythropoiesis in preclinical models of Diamond-Blackfan anemia through induction of miR-26a

Authors
Wilkes, M.C., Siva, K., Varetti, G., Mercado, J., Wentworth, E.P., Perez, C.A., Saxena, M., Kam, S., Kapur, S., Chen, J., Narla, A., Glader, B., Lin, S., Serrano, M., Flygare, J., Sakamoto, K.M.
ID
ZDB-PUB-201002-47
Date
2020
Source
Experimental hematology   91: 65-77 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Lin, Shuo
Keywords
none
MeSH Terms
  • 3' Untranslated Regions/genetics
  • Anemia, Diamond-Blackfan/drug therapy*
  • Anemia, Diamond-Blackfan/genetics
  • Animals
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Colony-Forming Units Assay
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Erythropoiesis/drug effects*
  • Erythropoiesis/genetics
  • Gene Expression Regulation/drug effects
  • Genes, Reporter
  • Hematinics/pharmacology
  • Hematinics/therapeutic use*
  • Humans
  • Metformin/pharmacology
  • Metformin/therapeutic use*
  • MicroRNAs/biosynthesis*
  • MicroRNAs/genetics
  • Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases/antagonists & inhibitors*
  • RNA Stability
  • RNA, Small Interfering/pharmacology
  • Recombinant Proteins/metabolism
  • Species Specificity
  • Up-Regulation/drug effects
  • Zebrafish
PubMed
32926965 Full text @ Exp. Hematol.
Abstract
Diamond-Blackfan anemia (DBA) results from haploinsufficiency of ribosomal protein subunits in hematopoietic progenitors in the earliest stages of committed erythropoiesis. Nemo-like kinase (NLK) is chronically hyperactivated in committed erythroid progenitors and precursors in multiple human and murine models of DBA. Inhibition of NLK activity and suppression of NLK expression both improve erythroid expansion in these models. Metformin is a well-tolerated drug for type 2 diabetes with multiple cellular targets. Here we demonstrate that metformin improves erythropoiesis in human and zebrafish models of DBA. Our data indicate that the effects of metformin on erythroid proliferation and differentiation are mediated by suppression of NLK expression through induction of miR-26a, which recognizes a binding site within the NLK 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) to facilitate transcript degradation. We propose that induction of miR-26a is a potentially novel approach to treatment of DBA and could improve anemia in DBA patients without the potentially adverse side effects of metformin in a DBA patient population.
Genes / Markers
Figures
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Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping