Role of RNA Binding Protein Smaug in Metabolic Regulation of Erythropoiesis

Open Access
- Author:
- Gormas, Gabriella
- Area of Honors:
- Immunology and Infectious Disease
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Robert Paulson, Thesis Supervisor
Robert Paulson, Thesis Honors Advisor
Girish Soorappa Kirimanjeswara, Faculty Reader - Keywords:
- Stress erythropoiesis
Smaug
Erythroid differentiation - Abstract:
- Erythropoiesis is a critical process in which erythroid progenitor cells proliferate and differentiate into mature red blood cells. Current findings have determined two pathways of erythropoiesis, the standard steady state pathway of erythropoiesis and the BMP4-dependent stress erythropoiesis pathway, which is activated during situations of infection and inflammation. Stress erythropoiesis is a complex process involving the function of many proteins and regulatory pathways. Though, the purpose and impact of these proteins and pathways are not fully understood by the scientific community. A candidate RNA-binding protein, Smaug, is presumed to function in the efficacy of erythroid differentiation processes and mitochondrial respiration events. In turn, this research focuses on the preliminary phases of Smaug protein analysis, ultimately questioning whether the lack of Smaug expression results in the inhibition of stress erythroid differentiation. To investigate Smaug mRNA expression levels, an expansion and differentiation (SEEM/SEDM) cell culture system developed by the Paulson Lab was utilized, along with an in-vivo model of inflammatory anemia, heat-killed brucella abortus (HKBA). Both cell sample models were tested using RT qPCR methods, in which the expression of Smaug was compared to 18S rRNA. Ultimately, results suggested that Smaug expression rises during expansion, and decreases during differentiation, which is consistent with our hypothesis that Smaug regulates the presence of respiratory complex RNAs and mitochondrial respiration levels.