Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) constitute a heterogeneous group of clonal hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) disorders characterized by aberrant HSC differentiation, cytopenia, and an increased risk of progression to leukemia. The low-risk subtype MDS with ring sideroblasts (MDS-RS) is specifically characterized by expanded and ineffective erythropoiesis, with more than 80% of patients displaying mutations in the core spliceosome component SF3B1 (SF3B1 mt).

A hallmark of the MDS-RS bone marrow (BM) is the progressive accumulation of ring sideroblasts (RS), erythroblasts displaying perinuclear mitochondria loaded with aberrant ferritin-iron complexes. Whilst several in vitro and in vivo model systems exist for studying the impact of SF3B1 mt on erythropoiesis and RS development, primary SF3B1 mt erythroid biology remains largely unexplored due to the inability to purify live SF3B1 mt cells or fully replicate BM conditions in vitro.

To address this issue, we developed an innovative two-step method to isolate live ring sideroblasts from SF3B1 mt MDS-RS BM aspiration material with extremely high purity (as determined through droplet digital PCR-based genotyping [Fig. 1A] and morphology-based detection through Prussian blue staining [Fig. 1B,C]). Unexpectedly, evaluation of matching peripheral blood samples showed that circulating ring sideroblasts are strikingly common in MDS-RS (Fig. 1D), with their abundance being significantly positively associated with clinically-determined BM RS frequencies and serum erythropoietin levels, as well as negatively associated with hemoglobin levels.

Through high-throughput Chromium 3'-based single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) analysis of purified RS, we then showed that these cells comprise a heterogeneous population encompassing all stages of the erythroid differentiation continuum, from early progenitors to orthochromatic erythroblasts (Fig. 1E). The RS transcriptome was shown to be dynamically regulated towards the maintenance of cell survival during late terminal erythroid differentiation (exemplified through parkin 1 [PINK1] expression), with SF3B1 K700E erythroblasts employing multiple strategies to preserve homeostasis despite undergoing extreme oxidative stress. These observations were confirmed through a parallel whole-transcript RNAseq investigation comprising CD34 + and GPA +-enriched samples obtained from normal bone marrow (NBM) donors and SF3B1 K700E MDS-RS patients, as well as purified RS samples. This bulk RNAseq experiment validated the RS transcriptomic signature observed in scRNAseq (Fig. 1F) and allowed for a detailed investigation of RNA splicing. SF3B1 K700E-associated alternative splicing in CD34 + and RS was consistent with previous literature, but also highly context-dependent and with substantial changes in scope and magnitude throughout erythroid differentiation (Fig. 1G-I).

Finally, we substantiated these RNAseq results through Tandem Mass Tag-based semi-quantitative proteomic analysis of purified RS and GPA-enriched cells from NBM donors and MDS-RS patients. We confirmed that ring sideroblast survival is heavily dependent on redox balance modulation and suppression of ER stress via an increased dependence on glutamine, mirroring the molecular mechanisms observed in malignancy. Additionally, our data strongly indicate that the RS population is a major modulator of the MDS-RS BM microenvironment due to expression of stress factors (with particular emphasis on GDF15, erythroferrone and IL-18). In conclusion, our integrative analysis of primary RS constitutes a unique platform for the study of MDS-RS, with special interest for the investigation of potential drivers of disease severity or treatment avenues.

Figure 1
Figure 1.
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Disclosures

Kretzschmar: Vanadis Diagnostics, a PerkinElmer company.: Current Employment.

© 2021 by The American Society of Hematology
2021
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