Biology subjects

Lakhal-Littleton, S.

Publications and source records attributed to Lakhal-Littleton, S..

5 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Tissue-Specific Iron Levels Modulate Lipid Peroxidation and the FLASH Radiotherapy Effect

Iron is vital to living cells, playing a key role in cellular respiration, DNA synthesis, and various metabolic functions. Importantly, cancer cells have a higher dependency on iron compared to normal cells to support their rapid growth and survival. Due to this fact, tumors are more vulnerable to ferroptosis, an iron-dependent form of regulated cell death. Radiation therapy (RT), a standard treatment for many cancer patients, is known to induce ferroptosis. Ultra-high dose rate FLASH RT offers an improved therapeutic window by minimizing damage to normal tissues while preserving tumor control. However, the precise biological mechanisms behind the protective effects of FLASH RT on normal tissues remain unclear. In this study, we propose that variations in lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis, driven by intrinsic differences in iron levels between normal and cancerous tissues, contribute to this effect. Our findings show that FLASH RT increases lipid peroxidation and induces ferroptosis in tumor cells but does not significantly elevate lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis in normal tissues compared to conventional RT. To determine whether raising iron levels in normal tissues could abrogate the protective effects of FLASH, mice were fed a high-iron diet before RT. A high-iron diet before and after RT reversed the protective effect of FLASH, resulting in increased intestinal damage and lipid peroxidation. This suggests that baseline iron levels and iron-driven lipid peroxidation are critical factors in mediating the protective outcomes of FLASH RT. Overall, our study sheds light on the role of iron in modulating RT responses and provides new mechanistic insights into how FLASH RT influences normal and cancerous tissues.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2021

PROTECTIVE ROLE FOR SMOOTH MUSCLE CELL HEPCIDIN IN ABDOMINAL AORTIC ANEURYSM

RationaleHepcidin (HAMP) is a hormone produced primarily in the liver. It controls systemic iron homeostasis by inhibiting the iron exporter ferroportin (FPN) in the gut and spleen, respective sites of iron absorption and recycling. HAMP and FPN are also found ectopically in tissues not involved in systemic iron homeostasis. The physiological functions of ectopic HAMP and FPN are only just beginning to be uncovered. We observed that HAMP expression is markedly increased in smooth muscle cells (SMCs) of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA), both in patients and in an experimental mouse model of AAA. ObjectiveTo understand the role of SMC-derived HAMP in the pathophysiology of AAA. Methods and ResultsWe generated mice harbouring an inducible, SMC-specific deletion of the hamp gene. We then applied the experimental model of AAA and simultaneously induced deletion of hamp in SMCs. We found that these mice developed large aneurysms and had greater incidences of rupture and of fatal dissection than mice with intact hamp in SMCs. A similar phenotype was observed in mice harbouring an inducible SMC-specific knock-in of HAMP-resistant FPNC326Y. Additionally, we observed that expression of Lipocalin-2 (LCN2), a protein known to promote AAA, was suppressed in AAA tissue from patients and from mice with intact hamp in SMCs, but not in mice lacking hamp in SMCs. Treatment of these mice with a LCN2-neutralising antibody protected them from the otherwise detrimental effects of loss of hamp in SMCs. ConclusionsThe present study demonstrates that the rise in SMC-derived HAMP within the aneurysm tissue is protective in the setting of AAA, and that such protection involves the cell-autonomous action of HAMP, and suppression of local LCN2. These findings are the first example of a protective role for ectopic HAMP in disease. They expand understanding of the multifaceted functions of HAMP outside the liver.

physiology↗

bioRxiv2020

Maternal iron deficiency perturbs embryonic cardiovascular development

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common type of birth defect, with a global prevalence of 0.9% of live births1. Most research in the last 30 years has focused on finding genetic causes of CHD. However, despite the association of over 100 genes with CHD, mutations in these genes only explain ~30% of cases2. Many of the remaining cases of CHD are caused by in utero exposure to environmental factors3. Here we have identified a completely new environmental teratogen causing CHD: maternal iron deficiency. In humans, iron deficiency anaemia is a major global health problem. 38% of pregnant women worldwide are anaemic4, and at least half of these are due to iron deficiency, the most prevalent micronutrient deficiency. We describe a mouse model of maternal iron deficiency anaemia that causes severe cardiovascular defects in her offspring. We show that these defects likely arise from increased retinoic acid signalling in iron deficient embryos, probably due to reduced activity of the iron-dependent retinoic acid catabolic CYP26 enzymes. The defects can be prevented by maternal iron administration early in pregnancy, and are also greatly reduced in offspring of mothers deficient in both iron and the retinoic acid precursor vitamin A. Finally, one puzzling feature of many genetic forms of CHD in humans is the considerable variation in penetrance and severity of defects. We show that maternal iron deficiency acts as a significant modifier of heart and craniofacial phenotype in a mouse model of Down syndrome. Given the high incidence of maternal iron deficiency, peri-conceptional iron monitoring and supplementation could be a viable strategy to reduce the prevalence and severity of CHD in human populations worldwide.

developmental biology↗

bioRxiv2020

The renal hepcidin/ferroportin axis controls iron reabsorption and determines renal and hepatic susceptibility to iron overload

The hepcidin/ferroportin axis controls systemic iron homeostasis by regulating iron acquisition from the duodenum and the reticuloendothelial system, respective sites of iron absorption and recycling. Ferroportin is also abundant in the kidney, where it has been implicated in iron reabsorption. However, it remains unknown whether hepcidin regulates ferroportin-mediated iron reabsorption and whether such regulation is important for systemic iron homeostasis. To address these questions, we generated a novel mouse model with an inducible renal-tubule specific knock-in of fpnC326Y, which encodes a hepcidin-resistant FPNC326Y. Under iron-replete conditions, female mice harbouring this allele had lower renal iron content and higher serum and liver iron levels than controls. Under conditions of excess iron availability, male and female mice harbouring this allele had greater liver iron overload, but lower renal iron overload relative to controls. In addition, hemochromatosis mice harbouring a ubiquitous knock-in of fpnC326Y did not develop renal iron overload otherwise seen in the setting of excess iron availability. These findings are the first formal demonstration that hepcidin regulates ferroportin-mediated iron reabsorption. They also show that loss of this regulation contributes to liver iron overload while protecting the kidney in the setting of hemochromatosis. Our findings have important implications. First, they indicate that targeting the hepcidin/ferroportin axis for treating iron overload disorders will inhibit iron reabsorption and increase renal iron content. Second, they suggest that inhibition of iron reabsorption by raised hepcidin in chronic inflammatory conditions contributes to iron deficiency and that parenteral iron supplementation in this setting may cause renal iron overload.

physiology↗

bioRxiv2019

Fetal liver hepcidin supports acquisition of iron stores in utero

In the adult, the liver-derived hormone hepcidin (HAMP) controls systemic iron levels by blocking the iron-exporting protein ferroportin (FPN) in the gut and spleen, the sites of iron absorption and recycling respectively. Impaired HAMP expression or FPN responsiveness to HAMP result in iron overload. HAMP is also expressed in the fetal liver but its role in controlling fetal iron stores is not understood. To address this question in a manner that safeguards against the confounding effects of altered maternal iron homeostasis, we generated fetuses harbouring a paternally-inherited ubiquitous knock-in of the HAMP-resistant fpnC326Y. Additionally, to safeguard against any confounding effects of altered placental iron homeostasis, we generated fetuses with a liver-specific knock-in of fpnC326Y or knockout of the hamp gene. These fetuses had reduced liver iron stores, and markedly increased FPN in the liver, but not in the placenta. Thus, in contrast to the adult, fetal liver HAMP operates cell-autonomously to increase fetal liver iron stores. Our findings also suggest that FPN in the placenta is permissive rather than regulatory of iron transport.

developmental biology↗