Investigating the significance of iron levels in influencing megakaryocytic commitment in megakaryocyte-erythroid progenitors

<jats:p>Abstract Aim- The present study investigated the significance of iron in regulating megakaryopoiesis, by a diet-based intervention in an in-vivo model. Methods- Male C57BL/6 mice, aged 4-5 weeks were fed on varying iron diets. Following sacrifice, blood samples collected in EDTA tubes were used to analyse haematological parameters, and iron content of liver and spleen was assessed by biochemical analyses. Megakaryocyte-erythroid progenitors (MEPs) were isolated from bone marrow by magnetic bead-based selection. RNA isolated from bone marrow cells and MEPs were used for gene expression analyses, and RNA Sequencing to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and associated pathways. Results- Mice fed on an iron-deficient diet had reduced hepatic iron content after 5 weeks (p &lt; 0.01), while both the hepatic and spleen iron content increased after 3 weeks in mice on an iron-rich diet (p &lt; 0.05) and developed iron overloading. Hb and RBC counts increased (p &lt; 0.05) in iron-rich mice and decreased in iron-deficient mice (p &lt; 0.05), which also showed elevated platelet counts (p &lt; 0.01). This may be explained by increased expression of Gata1, Tal1 (p &lt; 0.01) Mds1 and Pdpk1 (p &lt; 0.05) in bone marrow cells from iron-deficient mice. MEPs isolated from these mice showed elevated expression of genes associated with megakaryocytic differentiation, platelet functions, and genes encoding TGF-βR1 and Smad 2,3 and 4. Conclusions- Iron deficiency may activate TGF-β signalling and downstream Smad-mediated transcriptional programs within MEPs. This may promote a shift in lineage commitment towards megakaryopoiesis through elevated expression of megakaryopoiesis related genes.</jats:p>