Genome-wide transcriptomics leads to the identification of deregulated genes after deferasirox therapy in low-risk MDS patients

The iron chelator deferasirox is widely used in patients with iron overload. Patients with low-grade myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) get transfusion dependency and need to be treated with deferasirox to avoid iron overload. Moreover, in some patients an increase in both erythroid and platelets have been observed after deferasirox therapy. However, the mechanisms involved in these clinical findings are poorly understood. The aim of this work was to analyze, in patients treated with deferasirox, the changes in the gene-expression profile after receiving the treatment. A total of 15 patients with the diagnosis of low-grade MDS were studied. Microarrays were carried out in RNA from peripheral blood before and after 14 weeks of deferasirox therapy. Changes in 1457 genes and 54 miRNAs were observed: deferasirox induced the downregulation of genes related to the Nf kB pathway leading of an overall inactivation of this pathway. In addition, the iron chelator also downregulated gamma interferon. Altogether these changes could be related to the improvement of erythroid response observed in these patients after therapy. Moreover, the inhibition of NFE2L2/NRF2, which was predicted in silico, could be playing a critical role in the reduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Of note, miR-125b, overexpressed after deferasirox treatment, could be involved in the reduced inflammation and increased hematopoiesis observed in the patients after treatment. In summary this study shows, for the first time, the mechanisms that could be governing deferasirox impact in vivo.
This work was partially supported by grants from the Spanish Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias PI15/01471, PI17/01741, PI18/01500, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) “Una manera de hacer Europa”, “Consejería de Educación, Junta de Castilla y León” (SA271P18), “Proyectos de Investigación del SACYL”, Spain: GRS 1847/A/18, GRS 1653/A17, GRS 1850/A/18, “Fundación Memoria Don Samuel Solórzano Barruso”, by grants (RD12/0036/0069) from Red Temática de Investigación Cooperativa en Cáncer (RTICC) and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Cáncer (CIBERONC CB16/12/00233). JMHS and AERV are supported by a research grant by FEHH (“Fundación Española de Hematología y Hemoterapia”).