Maea-KO Mouse

Maea, also known as macrophage erythroblast attacher or EMP, is an E3 ubiquitin ligase. It is involved in multiple biological processes such as canonical Wnt signalling, cytokine receptor regulation, and ubiquitin-proteasome system-mediated protein degradation. It plays a crucial role in early embryogenesis, haematopoietic stem cell maintenance, and erythropoiesis [2,3,4]. Genetic models like KO/CKO mouse models are valuable in studying its functions.

In Maea-deficient mice, deletion in macrophages led to severe reductions of bone marrow macrophages, erythroblasts, and in vivo island formation, indicating its role in postnatal murine bone marrow erythropoiesis [4]. In haematopoietic stem cells, Maea deletion severely impairs HSC quiescence and leads to a lethal myeloproliferative syndrome, suggesting its importance in maintaining HSC function [3]. Knockdown of Maea in glioblastoma xenograft tumors inhibited their growth, showing its role in promoting glioblastoma progression [1].

In conclusion, Maea is essential for various biological processes. KO/CKO mouse models have revealed its significance in diseases such as myeloproliferative syndrome and glioblastoma. Understanding Maea's functions provides insights into disease mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets.

References:

1. Zhou, Peijun, Peng, Xingzhi, Tang, Siyuan, Peng, Jinwu, Yang, Lifang. 2023. E3 ligase MAEA-mediated ubiquitination and degradation of PHD3 promotes glioblastoma progression. In Oncogene, 42, 1308-1320. doi:10.1038/s41388-023-02644-3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36882523/

2. Goto, Toshiyasu, Shibuya, Hiroshi. 2022. maea affects head formation through ß-catenin degradation during early Xenopus laevis development. In Development, growth & differentiation, 65, 29-36. doi:10.1111/dgd.12828. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36444483/

3. Wei, Qiaozhi, Pinho, Sandra, Dong, Shuxian, Cuervo, Ana Maria, Frenette, Paul S. 2021. MAEA is an E3 ubiquitin ligase promoting autophagy and maintenance of haematopoietic stem cells. In Nature communications, 12, 2522. doi:10.1038/s41467-021-22749-1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33947846/

4. Wei, Qiaozhi, Boulais, Philip E, Zhang, Dachuan, Tanaka, Masato, Frenette, Paul S. 2019. Maea expressed by macrophages, but not erythroblasts, maintains postnatal murine bone marrow erythroblastic islands. In Blood, 133, 1222-1232. doi:10.1182/blood-2018-11-888180. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30674470/