Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0002871 (anemia)
 52,094 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Mouse strains carrying mutations at the Dominant White Spotting (W) locus or the Steel (Sl) locus are anemic and display defects in pigmentation and gametogenesis. In W mutants the anemia is due to a deficiency of hemopoietic stem cells and, in Sl mutants, to a deficiency of supporting stromal cells in the bone marrow. The W locus encodes the c-kit proto-oncogene product, a cell surface receptor with protein-tyrosine kinase activity, and the Sl locus encodes its ligand, a hemopoietic cytokine known variously as Steel factor (SLF), mast cell growth factor, stem cell factor, and Kit ligand. SLF can synergize with a number of other cytokines to stimulate growth of hemopoietic progenitors in vitro and stimulates blood cell production in vivo in animals. Here we review the biological activities of SLF, with particular emphasis on its effects on hemopoietic stem and progenitor cells. We also discuss present knowledge of the molecules involved in SLF-triggered signal transduction, and speculate on potential therapeutic applications for SLF in human disease.
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PMID:The kit receptor and its ligand, steel factor, as regulators of hemopoiesis. 172 56

Antiviral agents under investigation for the treatment of patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are reviewed. Multiple mechanisms exist by which antiviral agents might inhibit the replication of HIV or eradicate its latent form in affected cells, or both. These mechanisms include (1) interference with the cell surface receptor for HIV, (2) prevention of uncoating of viral particles, (3) inhibition of reverse transcriptase, (4) prevention of integration and posttranscription processing, (5) interference with viral assembly, and (6) interference with virus release. Most agents developed thus far work by inhibiting HIV reverse transcriptase. Suramin, ribavirin, ammonium 21-tungsten-9-antimoniate (HPA-23), foscarnet (phosphonoformate, PFA), inosine pranobex (isoprinosine), peptide T, ampligen, AL 721, dideoxycytidine, and zidovudine (formerly azidothymidine) have antiretroviral activity in vitro. To date zidovudine is the only antiretroviral agent approved by the FDA as clinically effective. However, zidovudine has serious toxicities, including neutropenia and anemia; in some patients dosage reduction or cessation of therapy may be necessary. Because treatment with zidovudine does not cure HIV infection, numerous studies are under way with other anti-HIV agents. Ultimately, combinations of agents probably will be used to suppress or eradicate HIV. While the search for more efficacious and less toxic treatments continues, the development of zidovudine in such a short time provides hope that progress toward a cure will be made rapidly.
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PMID:Development of antiviral agents for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus infection. 332 38

Erythroid cell iron and transferrin uptake and release was studied in the anemia of the Belgrade laboratory rat (gene symbol, b), an autosomal recessive trait characterized by hypochromia and hyperferrinemia. When reticulocyte-rich red cells were incubated in vitro with doubly (59Fe, 125I) labeled transferrin, b/b cells demonstrated a significantly higher uptake of transferrin (164% of control at 60 min), and a significantly lower uptake of iron (21% of control at 60 min) than control cells. These findings with b/b cells were simulated by sodium-fluoride-treated control cells, but not by trypsin-treated control cells. When reticulocytes exposed to doubly labeled transferrin were incubated in normal rat plasma, there was a substantial loss of 125I from both the b/b cells (mean 71%) and control cells (mean 49%), but only a loss of 59Fe from the b/b cells (mean 21%). These findings suggest a defect in the delivery of iron to the b/b reticulocyte, which is distal to the binding of transferrin to its cell surface receptor.
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PMID:Defective delivery of iron to the developing red cell of the Belgrade laboratory rat. 735 90

Fanconi anemia (FA) is a genetic human disorder associated with bone marrow failure and predisposition to cancer. FA cells show poor growth capacity and spontaneous chromosomal anomalies as well as cellular and chromosomal hypersensitivity to DNA cross-linking agents such as mitomycin C (MMC). Because it is likely that disruption of the apoptotic control would lead to such a phenotype, we investigated the implication of apoptosis in the FA syndrome. It is shown that, although demonstrating a high frequency of spontaneous apoptosis, FA cells from four genetic complementation groups are deficient in gamma-ray-induced apoptosis and their MMC hypersensitivity is not due to apoptosis. Fas is a cell surface receptor belonging to the tumor necrosis factor receptor family and is involved in apoptosis. We show that, independently of DNA damage, the alteration in the control of apoptosis in FA concerns also the pathway initiated by Fas activation. Finally, ectopic expression of the wild-type FAC gene corrects the MMC hypersensitivity and anomalies in apoptosis and cell cycle response in FA cells. Altogether, these findings strongly implicate the FA genes as playing a major role in the control of apoptosis. Thus, further studies with FA syndrome will be instrumental toward molecularly dissecting the apoptotic pathways.
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PMID:Deregulated apoptosis is a hallmark of the Fanconi anemia syndrome. 913 15

Erythropoietin (Epo) controls the proliferation, differentiation and survival of the erythroid progenitors. Epo exerts its effects by binding to a cell surface receptor. The Epo receptor includes a p66 chain, which is dimerized upon Epo activation, and two accessory proteins, which have been defined by cross-linking. Epo binding induces stimulation of the Jak2 tyrosine kinase. Jak2 activation leads to the tyrosine phosphorylation of several proteins, including the Epo receptor itself. Different intracellular pathways are activated: Ras/MAP kinase, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and STAT transcription factors. However, the exact mechanisms by which the proliferation and/or differentiation of erythroid cells are regulated after Epo stimulation are not known. Target disruption of both Epo and Epo receptors showed that Epo is not involved in the commitment of the erythroid lineage; it seems to act mainly as a survival factor. Epo is synthesized largely by the kidney and the liver, and sequences required for tissue-specific expression have been localized in the Epo gene. A 3' enhancer is responsible for hypoxia-inducible Epo gene expression. Hypoxia-induced factor-1 (HIF-1) protein binds to this enhancer. In addition to anaemia of renal failure, the indication for treatment with epoetin has been extended to the anaemia of chronic diseases.
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PMID:The molecular biology of erythropoietin. 1033 64

Domestic cats infected with the horizontally transmitted feline leukemia virus subgroup A (FeLV-A) often produce mutants (termed FeLV-C) that bind to a distinct cell surface receptor and cause severe aplastic anemia in vivo and erythroblast destruction in bone marrow cultures. The major determinant for FeLV-C-induced anemia has been mapped to a small region of the surface envelope glycoprotein that is responsible for its receptor binding specificity. Thus, erythroblast destruction may directly or indirectly result from FeLV-C binding to its receptor. To address these issues, we functionally cloned a putative cell surface receptor for FeLV-C (FLVCR) by using a human T-lymphocyte cDNA library in a retroviral vector. Expression of the 2.0-kbp FLVCR cDNA in naturally resistant Swiss mouse fibroblasts and Chinese hamster ovary cells caused substantial susceptibility to FeLV-C but no change in susceptibilities to FeLV-B and other retroviruses. The predicted FLVCR protein contains 555 amino acids and 12 hydrophobic potential membrane-spanning sequences. Database searches indicated that FLVCR is a member of the major-facilitator superfamily of transporters and implied that it may transport an organic anion. RNA blot analyses showed that FLVCR mRNA is expressed in multiple hematopoietic lineages rather than specifically in erythroblasts. These results suggest that the targeted destruction of erythroblasts by FeLV-C may derive from their greater sensitivity to this virus rather than from a preferential susceptibility to infection.
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PMID:A putative cell surface receptor for anemia-inducing feline leukemia virus subgroup C is a member of a transporter superfamily. 1040 Jul 45

In mammalian cells, enzymatic lipid peroxidation catalyzed by 12/15-lipoxygenases is regulated by pretranslational, translational, and posttranslational processes. In rabbits, rats, and mice induction of experimental anemia leads to a systemic up-regulation of 12/15-lipoxygenases expression. In addition, interleukins-4 and -13 were identified as strong up-regulators of this enzyme in human and murine monocyte/macrophages and in the lung carcinoma cell line A549, and the interleukin-4(13) cell surface receptor as well as the signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 (STATG) appears to be involved in the signal transduction cascade. On the level of translation, 15-lipoxygenase synthesis is blocked by the binding of regulatory proteins to a characteristic guanine-cytosine-rich repetitive element in the 3'-untranslated region of the rabbit 15-lipoxygenase mRNA, and the formation of such 15-lipoxygenase mRNA/protein complexes was identified as molecular reason for the translational inactivity of the 15-lipoxygenase mRNA in immature red blood cells. However, proteolytic breakdown of the regulatory proteins which were recently identified as hnRNP K and hnRNP E1 overcomes translational inhibition during later stages of reticulocyte maturation. For maximal intracellular activity, 12/15-lipoxygenases require a rise in cytosolic calcium concentration inducing a translocation of the enzyme from the cytosol to cellular membranes as well as small amounts of preformed hydroperoxides which act as essential activators of the enzymes. 12/15-Lipoxygenases undergo irreversible suicide inactivation during fatty acid oxygenation, and this process may be considered an element of down-regulation of enzyme activity. Suicide inactivation and proteolytic breakdown may contribute to the disappearance of functional 12/15-lipoxygenase at later stages of erythropoiesis.
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PMID:Regulation of cellular 15-lipoxygenase activity on pretranslational, translational, and posttranslational levels. 1041 77

This minireview is an update of a 1997 review on erythropoietin (EPO) in this journal. EPO is a 30,400-dalton glycoprotein that regulates red cell production. In the human, EPO is produced by peritubular cells in the kidneys of the adult and in hepatocytes in the fetus. Small amounts of extra-renal EPO are produced by the liver in adult human subjects. EPO binds to an erythroid progenitor cell surface receptor that includes a p66 chain, and, when activated, the p66 protein becomes dimerized. EPO receptor activation induces a JAK2 tyrosine kinase, which leads to tyrosine phosphorylation of the EPO receptor and several proteins. EPO receptor binding leads to intracellular activation of the Ras/mitogen-activated kinase pathway, which is involved with cell proliferation, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, and STATS 1, 3, 5A, and 5B transcriptional factors. EPO acts primarily to rescue erythroid cells from apoptosis (programmed cell death) to increase their survival. EPO acts synergistically with several growth factors (SCF, GM-CSF, 1L-3, and IGF-1) to cause maturation and proliferation of erythroid progenitor cells (primarily colony-forming unit-E). Oxygen-dependent regulation of EPO gene expression is postulated to be controlled by a hypoxia-inducible transcription factor (HIF-1alpha). Hypoxia-inducible EPO production is controlled by a 50-bp hypoxia-inducible enhancer that is approximately 120 bp 3' to the polyadenylation site. Hypoxia signal transduction pathways involve kinases A and C, phospholipase A(2), and transcription factors ATF-1 and CREB-1. A model has been proposed for adenosine activation of EPO production that involves protein kinases A and C and the phospholipase A(2) pathway. Other effects of EPO include a hematocrit-independent, vasoconstriction-dependent hypertension, increased endothelin production, upregulation of tissue renin, change in vascular tissue prostaglandins production, stimulation of angiogenesis, and stimulation of endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation. Recombinant human EPO (rHuEPO) is currently being used to treat patients with anemias associated with chronic renal failure, AIDS patients with anemia due to treatment with zidovudine, nonmyeloid malignancies in patients treated with chemotherapeutic agents, perioperative surgical patients, and autologous blood donation. A novel erythropoiesis-stimulating factor (NESP, darbepoetin) has been synthesized and when compared with rHuEPO, NESP has a higher carbohydrate content (52% vs 40%), a longer plasma half-life, the amino acid sequence differs from that of native human EPO at five positions, and has been reported to maintain hemoglobin levels just as effectively in patients with chronic renal failure as rHuEPO at less frequent dosing. The use of rHuEPO and darbepoetin to enhance athletic performance is officially banned by most sports-governing bodies because the excessive erythrocytosis can lead to increased thrombogenicity and can cause deep vein, coronary, and cerebral thromboses.
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PMID:Erythropoietin: physiology and pharmacology update. 1252 67

The Philadelphia chromosome-negative chronic myeloproliferative disorders (CMPD), polycythemia vera (PV), essential thrombocythemia (ET) and chronic idiopathic myelofibrosis (IMF), have overlapping clinical features but exhibit different natural histories and different therapeutic requirements. Phenotypic mimicry amongst these disorders and between them and nonclonal hematopoietic disorders, lack of clonal diagnostic markers, lack of understanding of their molecular basis and paucity of controlled, prospective therapeutic trials have made the diagnosis and management of PV, ET and IMF difficult. In Section I, Dr. Jerry Spivak introduces current clinical controversies involving the CMPD, in particular the diagnostic challenges. Two new molecular assays may prove useful in the diagnosis and classification of CMPD. In 2000, the overexpression in PV granulocytes of the mRNA for the neutrophil antigen NBI/CD177, a member of the uPAR/Ly6/CD59 family of plasma membrane proteins, was documented. Overexpression of PRV-1 mRNA appeared to be specific for PV since it was not observed in secondary erythrocytosis. At this time, it appears that overexpression of granulocyte PRV-1 in the presence of an elevated red cell mass supports a diagnosis of PV; absence of PRV-1 expression, however, should not be grounds for excluding PV as a diagnostic possibility. Impaired expression of Mpl, the receptor for thrombopoietin, in platelets and megakaryocytes has been first described in PV, but it has also been observed in some patients with ET and IMF. The biologic basis appears to be either alternative splicing of Mpl mRNA or a single nucleotide polymorphism, both of which involve Mpl exon 2 and both of which lead to impaired posttranslational glycosylation and a dominant negative effect on normal Mpl expression. To date, no Mpl DNA structural abnormality or mutation has been identified in PV, ET or IMF. In Section II, Dr. Tiziano Barbui reviews the best clinical evidence for treatment strategy design in PV and ET. Current recommendations for cytoreductive therapy in PV are still largely similar to those at the end of the PVSG era. Phlebotomy to reduce the red cell mass and keep it at a safe level (hematocrit < 45%) remains the cornerstone of treatment. Venesection is an effective and safe therapy and previous concerns about potential side effects, including severe iron deficiency and an increased tendency to thrombosis or myelofibrosis, were erroneous. Many patients require no other therapy for many years. For others, however, poor compliance to phlebotomy or progressive myeloproliferation, as indicated by increasing splenomegaly or very high leukocyte or platelet counts, may call for the introduction of cytoreductive drugs. In ET, the therapeutic trade-off between reducing thrombotic events and increasing the risk of leukemia with the use of cytoreductive drugs should be approached by patient risk stratification. Thrombotic deaths seem very rare in low-risk ET subjects and there are no data indicating that fatalities can be prevented by starting cytoreductive drugs early. Therefore, withholding chemotherapy might be justifiable in young, asymptomatic ET patients with a platelet count below 1500000/mm(3) and with no additional risk factors for thrombosis. If cardiovascular risk factors together with ET are identified (smoking, obesity, hypertension, hyperlipidemia) it is wise to consider platelet-lowering agents on an individual basis. In Section III, Dr. Gianni Tognoni discusses the role of aspirin therapy in PV based on the recently completed European Collaboration on Low-dose Aspirin in Polycythemia Vera (ECLAP) Study, a multi-country, multicenter project aimed at describing the natural history of PV as well as the efficacy of low-dose aspirin. Aspirin treatment lowered the risk of cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and non-fatal stroke (relative risk 0.41 [95% CI 0.15-1.15], P =.0912). Total and cardiovascular mortality were also reduced by 46% and 59%, respectively. Major bleedings were slightly increased nonsignificnsignificantly by aspirin (relative risk 1.62, 95% CI 0.27-9.71). In Section IV, Dr. Giovanni Barosi reviews our current understanding of the pathophysiology of IMF and, in particular, the contributions of anomalous megakaryocyte proliferation, neoangiogenesis and abnormal CD34(+) stem cell trafficking to disease pathogenesis. The role of newer therapies, such as low-conditioning stem cell transplantation and thalidomide, is discussed in the context of a general treatment strategy for IMF. The results of a Phase II trial of low-dose thalidomide as a single agent in 63 patients with myelofibrosis with meloid metaplasia (MMM) using a dose-escalation design and an overall low dose of the drug (The European Collaboration on MMM) will be presented. Considering only patients who completed 4 weeks of treatment, 31% had a response: this was mostly due to a beneficial effect of thalidomide on patients with transfusion dependent anemia, 39% of whom abolished transfusions, patients with moderate to severe thrombocytopenia, 28% of whom increased their platelet count by more than 50 x 10(9)/L, and patients with the largest splenomegalies, 42% of whom reduced spleen size of more than 2 cm.
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PMID:Chronic myeloproliferative disorders. 1463 83

FLVCR, a member of the major facilitator superfamily of transporter proteins, is the cell surface receptor for feline leukemia virus, subgroup C. Retroviral interference with FLVCR display results in a loss of erythroid progenitors (colony-forming units-erythroid, CFU-E) and severe anemia in cats. In this report, we demonstrate that human FLVCR exports cytoplasmic heme and hypothesize that human FLVCR is required on developing erythroid cells to protect them from heme toxicity. Inhibition of FLVCR in K562 cells decreases heme export, impairs their erythroid maturation and leads to apoptosis. FLVCR is upregulated on CFU-E, indicating that heme export is important in primary cells at this stage. Studies of FLVCR expression in cell lines suggest this exporter also impacts heme trafficking in intestine and liver. To our knowledge, this is the first description of a mammalian heme transporter.
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PMID:Identification of a human heme exporter that is essential for erythropoiesis. 1536 74


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