Erythropoietin and the use of a transgenic model of erythropoietin-deficient mice

• Published in: Hypoxia Vol. 4; pp. 29 - 39
• Main Authors: Pichon, Aurélien, Jeton, Florine, El Hasnaoui-Saadani, Raja, Hagström, Luciana, Launay, Thierry, Beaudry, Michèle, Marchant, Dominique, Quidu, Patricia, Macarlupu, Jose-Luis, Favret, Fabrice, Richalet, Jean-Paul, Voituron, Nicolas
• Format: Journal Article Book Review
• Language: English
• Published: New Zealand Taylor & Francis Ltd 01.01.2016; Dove Medical Press
• Subjects: Adaptation; Anemia; Angiogenesis; Apoptosis; Gene expression; Heart; Homeostasis; Hypoxia; Ischemia; Kinases; Metabolism; Nervous system; Oxidative stress; Physiology; Proteins; Review; Vascular endothelial growth factor; France; hypoxia; physiological functions; Epo-TAgh mice; mouse model
• ISSN: 2324-1128; 2324-1128
• DOI: 10.2147/HP.S83540

Despite its well-known role in red blood cell production, it is now accepted that erythropoietin (Epo) has other physiological functions. Epo and its receptors are expressed in many tissues, such as the brain and heart. The presence of Epo/Epo receptors in these organs suggests other roles than those usually assigned to this protein. Thus, the aim of this review is to describe the effects of Epo deficiency on adaptation to normoxic and hypoxic environments and to suggest a key role of Epo on main physiological adaptive functions. Our original model of Epo-deficient (Epo-TAg ) mice allowed us to improve our knowledge of the possible role of Epo in O homeostasis. The use of anemic transgenic mice revealed Epo as a crucial component of adaptation to hypoxia. Epo-TAg mice survive well in hypoxic conditions despite low hematocrit. Furthermore, Epo plays a key role in neural control of ventilatory acclimatization and response to hypoxia, in deformability of red blood cells, in cerebral and cardiac angiogenesis, and in neuro- and cardioprotection.