DOT1L methyltransferase regulates the calcium influx in erythroid progenitor cells in response to erythropoietin

Abstract

Erythropoietin (EPO) signaling plays a vital role in erythropoiesis by regulating proliferation and lineage-specific differentiation of hematopoietic progenitor cells. An important downstream response of EPO signaling is calcium influx, which is regulated by transient receptor potential channel (TRPC) proteins, particularly TRPC2 and TRPC6. While EPO induces Ca2+influx through TRPC2, TRPC6 inhibits the function of TRPC2. Thus, interactions between TRPC2 and TRPC6 regulate the rate of Ca2+influx in EPO-induced erythropoiesis. In this study, we observed that the expression of TRPC6 in c-KIT positive erythroid progenitor cells is regulated by DOT1L. DOT1L is a methyltransferase that plays an important role in many biological processes during embryonic development, including early erythropoiesis. We previously reported that Dot1L knockout (Dot1L-KO) hematopoietic progenitors in the yolk sac failed to develop properly, which resulted in lethal anemia. In this study, we have detected a marked downregulation of Trpc6 gene expression in Dot1L-KO progenitor cells in the yolk sac compared to wildtype. However, the expression of Trpc2, the positive regulator of Ca2+influx, remained unchanged. The promoter and the proximal region of the Trpc6 gene loci exhibited an enrichment of H3K79 methylation, which is mediated solely by DOT1L. As the loss of DOT1L affects the expression of TRPC6, which inhibits Ca2+influx by TRPC2, Dot1L-KO progenitor cells in the yolk sac exhibit accelerated and sustained high levels of Ca2+influx. Such heightened Ca2+ levels might have detrimental effects on the development of hematopoietic progenitor cells in response to erythropoietin.