Authors: Cole Marra and Prateek Swamykumar
Place of Origin
Erythropoietin (EPO) is a protein that is manufactured in the kidneys and binds to receptors in the bone marrow.
Structure
EPO is made up of a 166 amino acid chain. There are 4 shown in red which are arranged in a bundle. In the tertiary structure, there are two disulfide bonds, shown in yellow, which hold together this bundle. There are two active sites for this protein. is responsible for binding to the receptor on cell surfaces. causes dimerization with other EPO subunits.
Function
EPO receptors in the bone marrow triggers a signal transduction pathway that causes red blood cells to move into the blood stream.
Significance
EPO is an important factor in anemia. Anemia is when there is a lack of red blood cells in the blood stream which results in oxygen deficiencies. Anemia can be caused by rapid bleeding or a loss of kidney function. The kidneys produce EPO, and in instances where that process is interrupted such as kidney disease, the protein is not produced and red blood cell count decreases. One of the most common treatments for chronic kidney disease is erythropoietin injections. This method has been very effective in reducing the anemia. Current studies are being done to create erythropoietin producing cells and implant them in kidneys that have been affected by CKD.
References
https://www.rcsb.org/structure/1buy
https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/kidney-disease/chronic-kidney-disease-ckd/anemia
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9002951
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9783743
