Mice Deficient in the Putative Phospholipid Flippase ATP11C Exhibit Altered Erythrocyte Shape, Anemia, and Reduced Erythrocyte Life Span*

• DOI: 10.1074/jbc.c114.570267
• Publication Date: 2014-06-05T03:15:32Z
• Authors: Mehmet Yabas; Lucy A. Coupland; Deborah Cromer; Markus Winterberg; Narci C. Teoh; James D'Rozario; Kiaran Kirk; Stefan Bröer; Christopher R. Pa...; Anselm Enders
• Keywords: Adenosine Triphosphatases; 0301 basic medicine; mice; Cell Survival; Erythrocyte Membrane; ATP11C; Biological Transport, Active; Erythrocytes, Abnormal; Acid-Base Imbalance; flippase; Anemia, Hemolytic, Congenital; Mice, Mutant Strains; Mice; 03 medical and health sciences; Animals; phospholipid; life span; Metabolism, Inborn Errors; Phospholipids

Transmembrane lipid transporters are believed to establish and maintain phospholipid asymmetry in biological membranes; however, little is known about the in vivo function of the specific transporters involved. Here, we report that developing erythrocytes from mice lacking the putative phosphatidylserine flippase ATP11C showed a lower rate of PS translocation in vitro compared with erythrocytes from wild-type littermates. Furthermore, the mutant mice had an elevated percentage of phosphatidylserine-exposing mature erythrocytes in the periphery. Although erythrocyte development in ATP11C-deficient mice was normal, the mature erythrocytes had an abnormal shape (stomatocytosis), and the life span of mature erythrocytes was shortened relative to that in control littermates, resulting in anemia in the mutant mice. Thus, our findings uncover an essential role for ATP11C in erythrocyte morphology and survival and provide a new candidate for the rare inherited blood disorder stomatocytosis with uncompensated anemia.