Erythroid mitochondrial retention triggers myeloid-dependent type I interferon in human SLE

Simone Caielli, Jacob Cardenas, Adriana Almeida de Jesus, Jeanine Baisch, Lynnette Walters, Jean Philippe Blanck, Preetha Balasubramanian, Cristy Stagnar, Marina Ohouo, Seunghee Hong, Lorien Nassi, Katie Stewart, Julie Fuller, Jinghua Gu, Jacques F. Banchereau, Tracey Wright, Raphaela Goldbach-Mansky, Virginia Pascual

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

72 Scopus citations

Abstract

Emerging evidence supports that mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) pathogenesis. Here we show that programmed mitochondrial removal, a hallmark of mammalian erythropoiesis, is defective in SLE. Specifically, we demonstrate that during human erythroid cell maturation, a hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-mediated metabolic switch is responsible for the activation of the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS), which precedes and is necessary for the autophagic removal of mitochondria. A defect in this pathway leads to accumulation of red blood cells (RBCs) carrying mitochondria (Mito+ RBCs) in SLE patients and in correlation with disease activity. Antibody-mediated internalization of Mito+ RBCs induces type I interferon (IFN) production through activation of cGAS in macrophages. Accordingly, SLE patients carrying both Mito+ RBCs and opsonizing antibodies display the highest levels of blood IFN-stimulated gene (ISG) signatures, a distinctive feature of SLE.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)4464-4479.e19
JournalCell
Volume184
Issue number17
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 19 2021

Keywords

  • CANDLE syndrome
  • HIF2a
  • autoimmunity
  • cGAS
  • human erythropoiesis
  • interferon
  • mitochondrial DNA
  • mitophagy
  • proteasome
  • systemic lupus erythematosus

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Erythroid mitochondrial retention triggers myeloid-dependent type I interferon in human SLE'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this