N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor Hypofunction in Meg-01 Cells Reveals a Role for Intracellular Calcium Homeostasis in Balancing Megakaryocytic-Erythroid Differentiation

James I. Hearn, Taryn N. Green, Martin Chopra, Yohanes N.S. Nursalim, Leandro Ladvanszky, Nicholas Knowlton, Cherie Blenkiron, Raewyn C. Poulsen, Dean C. Singleton, Stefan K. Bohlander, Maggie L. Kalev-Zylinska*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

11 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The release of calcium ions (Ca 2+) from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and related store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) regulate maturation of normal megakaryocytes. The N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor (NMDAR) provides an additional mechanism for Ca 2+ influx in megakaryocytic cells, but its role remains unclear. We created a model of NMDAR hypofunction in Meg-01 cells using CRISPR-Cas9 mediated knockout of the GRIN1 gene, which encodes an obligate, GluN1 subunit of the NMDAR. We found that compared with unmodified Meg-01 cells, Meg-01-GRIN1 -/- cells underwent atypical differentiation biased toward erythropoiesis, associated with increased basal ER stress and cell death. Resting cytoplasmic Ca 2+ levels were higher in Meg-01-GRIN1 -/- cells, but ER Ca 2+ release and SOCE were lower after activation. Lysosome-related organelles accumulated including immature dense granules that may have contributed an alternative source of intracellular Ca 2+. Microarray analysis revealed that Meg-01-GRIN1 -/- cells had deregulated expression of transcripts involved in Ca 2+ metabolism, together with a shift in the pattern of hematopoietic transcription factors toward erythropoiesis. In keeping with the observed pro-cell death phenotype induced by GRIN1 deletion, memantine (NMDAR inhibitor) increased cytotoxic effects of cytarabine in unmodified Meg-01 cells. In conclusion, NMDARs comprise an integral component of the Ca 2+ regulatory network in Meg-01 cells that help balance ER stress and megakaryocytic-erythroid differentiation. We also provide the first evidence that megakaryocytic NMDARs regulate biogenesis of lysosome-related organelles, including dense granules. Our results argue that intracellular Ca 2+ homeostasis may be more important for normal megakaryocytic and erythroid differentiation than currently recognized; thus, modulation may offer therapeutic opportunities.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)671-686
Number of pages16
JournalThrombosis and Haemostasis
Volume120
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Apr 2020
Externally publishedYes

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