Novel roles of cardiac-derived erythropoietin in cardiac development and function

The role of erythropoietin (EPO) has extended beyond hematopoiesis to include cytoprotection, inotropy, and neurogenesis. Extra-renal EPO has been reported for multiple tissue/cell types, but the physiological relevance remains unknown. Although the EPO receptor is expressed by multiple cardiac cell types and human recombinant EPO increases contractility and confers cytoprotection against injury, whether the heart produces physiologically meaningful amounts of EPO in vivo is unclear. We show a distinct circadian rhythm of cardiac EPO mRNA expression in adult mice and increased mRNA expression during embryogenesis, suggesting physiological relevance to cardiac EPO production throughout life.

Source: Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology - February 20, 2024 Category: Cytology Authors: Melissa A. Allwood, Brittany A. Edgett, Mathew J. Platt, Jade P. Marrow, Bridget Coyle-Asbil, Emma J.B. Holjak, Victoria L. Nelson, Swara Bangali, Razan Alshamali, Kathy Jacyniak, Jorden M. Klein, Laura Farquharson, Nadya Romanova, Victoria Northrup, Lesl Source Type: research