Comparison of 3 Tfr2-deficient murine models suggests distinct functions for Tfr2-alpha and Tfr2-beta isoforms in different tissues.

Transferrin receptor 2 (TFR2) is a transmembrane protein that is mutated in hemochromatosis type 3. The TFR2 gene is transcribed in 2 main isoforms: the full-length (alpha) and a shorter form (beta). alpha-Tfr2 is the sensor of diferric transferrin, implicated in the modulation of hepcidin, the main regulator of iron homeostasis. The function of the putative beta-Tfr2 protein is unknown. We have developed a new mouse model (KI) lacking beta-Tfr2 compared with Tfr2 knockout mice (KO). Adult Tfr2 KO mice show liver iron overload and inadequate hepcidin levels relative to body iron stores, even though they increase Bmp6 production. KI mice have normal transferrin saturation, liver iron concentration, hepcidin and Bmp6 levels but show a transient anemia at young age and severe spleen iron accumulation in adult animals. Fpn1 is strikingly decreased in the spleen of these animals. These findings and the expression of beta-Tfr2 in wild-type mice spleen suggest a role for beta-Tfr2 in Fpn1 transcriptional control. Selective inactivation of liver alpha-Tfr2 in KI mice (LCKO-KI) returned the phenotype to liver iron overload. Our results strengthen the function of hepatic alpha-Tfr2 in hepcidin activation, suggest a role for extrahepatic Tfr2 and indicate that beta-Tfr2 may specifically control spleen iron efflux.

Transferrin receptor 2 is a component of the erythropoietin receptor complex and is required for efficient erythropoiesis.

Erythropoietin (Epo) is required for erythroid progenitor differentiation. Although Epo crosslinking experiments have revealed the presence of Epo receptor (EpoR)-associated proteins that could never be identified, EpoR is considered to be a paradigm for homodimeric cytokine receptors. We purified EpoR-binding partners and identified the type 2 transferrin receptor (TfR2) as a component of the EpoR complex corresponding to proteins previously detected in cross-linking experiments. TfR2 is involved in iron metabolism by regulating hepcidin production in liver cells. We show that TfR2 and EpoR are synchronously coexpressed during the differentiation of erythroid progenitors. TfR2 associates with EpoR in the endoplasmic reticulum and is required for the efficient transport of this receptor to the cell surface. Erythroid progenitors from TfR2(-/-)mice show a decreased sensitivity to Epo and increased circulating Epo levels. In human erythroid progenitors, TfR2 knockdown delays the terminal differentiation. Erythroid cells produce growth differentiation factor-15, a cytokine that suppresses hepatic hepcidin production in certain erythroid diseases such as thalassemia. We show that the production of growth differentiation factor-15 by erythroid cells is dependent on both Epo and TfR2. Taken together, our results show that TfR2 exhibits a non hepatic function as a component of the EpoR complex and is required for efficient erythropoiesis.

Author Correction: Transferrin receptor 2 controls bone mass and pathological bone formation via BMP and Wnt signaling.

In the version of this article initially published, affiliation 14 was incorrect, and Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft grants SFB1036 and SFB1118 were missing from the Acknowledgements. The errors have been corrected in the HTML and PDF versions of the article.

Transferrin receptor 2 controls bone mass and pathological bone formation via BMP and Wnt signaling.

Transferrin receptor 2 (Tfr2) is mainly expressed in the liver and controls iron homeostasis. Here, we identify Tfr2 as a regulator of bone homeostasis that inhibits bone formation. Mice lacking Tfr2 display increased bone mass and mineralization independent of iron homeostasis and hepatic Tfr2. Bone marrow transplantation experiments and studies of cell-specific Tfr2 knockout mice demonstrate that Tfr2 impairs BMP-p38MAPK signaling and decreases expression of the Wnt inhibitor sclerostin specifically in osteoblasts. Reactivation of MAPK or overexpression of sclerostin rescues skeletal abnormalities in Tfr2 knockout mice. We further show that the extracellular domain of Tfr2 binds BMPs and inhibits BMP-2-induced heterotopic ossification by acting as a decoy receptor. These data indicate that Tfr2 limits bone formation by modulating BMP signaling, possibly through direct interaction with BMP either as a receptor or as a co-receptor in a complex with other BMP receptors. Finally, the Tfr2 extracellular domain may be effective in the treatment of conditions associated with pathological bone formation.

The Functional Versatility of Transferrin Receptor 2 and Its Therapeutic Value.

Iron homeostasis is a tightly regulated process in all living organisms because this metal is essential for cellular metabolism, but could be extremely toxic when present in excess. In mammals, there is a complex pathway devoted to iron regulation, whose key protein is hepcidin (Hepc), which is a powerful iron absorption inhibitor mainly produced by the liver. Transferrin receptor 2 (Tfr2) is one of the hepcidin regulators, and mutations in TFR2 gene are responsible for type 3 hereditary hemochromatosis (HFE3), a genetically heterogeneous disease characterized by systemic iron overload. It has been recently pointed out that Hepc production and iron regulation could be exerted also in tissues other than liver, and that Tfr2 has an extrahepatic role in iron metabolism as well. This review summarizes all the most recent data on Tfr2 extrahepatic role, taking into account the putative distinct roles of the two main Tfr2 isoforms, Tfr2α and Tfr2ß. Representing Hepc modulation an effective approach to correct iron balance impairment in common human diseases, and with Tfr2 being one of its regulators, it would be worthwhile to envisage Tfr2 as a therapeutic target.

Transferrin Receptor 2 Dependent Alterations of Brain Iron Metabolism Affect Anxiety Circuits in the Mouse.

The Transferrin Receptor 2 (Tfr2) modulates systemic iron metabolism through the regulation of iron regulator Hepcidin (Hepc) and Tfr2 inactivation causes systemic iron overload. Based on data demonstrating Tfr2 expression in brain, we analysed Tfr2-KO mice in order to examine the molecular, histological and behavioural consequences of Tfr2 silencing in this tissue. Tfr2 abrogation caused an accumulation of iron in specific districts in the nervous tissue that was not accompanied by a brain Hepc response. Moreover, Tfr2-KO mice presented a selective overactivation of neurons in the limbic circuit and the emergence of an anxious-like behaviour. Furthermore, microglial cells showed a particular sensitivity to iron perturbation. We conclude that Tfr2 is a key regulator of brain iron homeostasis and propose a role for Tfr2 alpha in the regulation of anxiety circuits.