Faculty Research 1990 - 1999

Distinct fetal Ank-1 and Ank-2 related proteins and mRNAs in normal and nb/nb mice.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1993

Keywords

Animal, Ankyrins: bl, ge, Brain-Chemistry, Erythrocytes, Fetal-Blood, Hematopoietic-Stem-Cells, Immunoblotting, Liver: em, Mice, Mice-Mutant-Strains, Mutation, Reticulocytes, RNA-Messenger: an, SUPPORT-NON-U-S-GOVT, SUPPORT-U-S-GOVT-NON-P-H-S, SUPPORT-U-S-GOVT-P-H-S

First Page

2144

Last Page

2149

JAX Source

Blood 1993 Apr 15;81(8):2144-9

Grant

HL29305/HL/NHLBI, HD07065/HD/NICHD

Abstract

Mice homozygous for the mutation normoblastosis (gene symbol nb on chromosome 8) are deficient in erythroid ankyrin (ANK-1) and have a severe hemolytic anemia throughout life. Characteristic of the disease is a dramatic decrease in the level of expression of the Ank-1 gene (chromosome 8). The other major ankyrin transcript, brain ankyrin (Ank-2 on chromosome 3) is expressed at normal levels in nb/nb mice. Surprisingly, nb/nb fetuses have normal erythrocyte counts despite the decreased levels of Ank-1 transcripts. We previously hypothesized that fetal-specific ankyrin-related proteins could exist in nb/nb fetuses to account for the lack of detrimental effects of ANK-1 deficiency. In the present report, Western and Northern blot analyses were performed on hematopoietic cells isolated from nb/nb and +/+ fetuses. An ANK-1-related protein (165 Kd) in fetal reticulocytes persisted in adult nb/nb but not in +/+ reticulocytes. An Ank-1-related transcript of 5.5 kb was found in fetal reticulocytes. This transcript appeared to be upregulated in nb/nb but not in +/+ adult reticulocytes. A fetal-specific ANK-2-related protein (155 Kd) was present in nb/nb and in +/+ fetal reticulocytes. Ank-2-related fetal liver mRNAs were present during the time the liver was actively generating erythrocytes. Neither the Ank-2-related transcripts nor the 155-Kd ANK-2-related protein were found in +/+ or mutant adult reticulocytes. The data indicate that (1) unique ankyrin-related proteins and mRNAs present in fetal erythrocytes may stabilize the ankyrin-deficient nb/nb erythrocytes and (2) adult nb/nb mice may upregulate fetal gene transcripts to compensate for the ANK-1 deficiency.

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS