FAM210B regulates iron homeostasis and sex-specific responses in stress erythropoiesis

Iron is required for redox homeostasis but poses toxicity risks due to its redox activity. Erythropoiesis hence requires tight regulation of iron utilization for hemoglobin synthesis. The requirement for iron in erythropoiesis has necessitated the evolution of mechanisms to handle the iron required for hemoglobinization. FAM210B was identified as a regulator of mitochondrial iron import and heme synthesis in erythroid cell culture and zebrafish models. Here, we demonstrate that although FAM210B is required for erythroid differentiation and heme synthesis under standard cell culture conditions, holotransferrin supplementation was sufficient to chemically complement the iron-deficient phenotype. To investigate the role of FAM210B in erythropoiesis, we used knockout mice. Although Fam210b^-/- mice were viable and did not exhibit overt erythropoietic defects in the bone marrow, the male mice exhibited an increase in serum transferrin, suggesting sex-specific alterations in systemic iron sensing. On phlebotomy-induced stress erythropoiesis, Fam210b^-/- mice exhibited differences in serum transferrin levels, and more starkly, had markedly smaller spleens, indicating defects in stress response. Fam210b^-/- males had defects in neutrophil and monocyte numbers, as well as decreased erythroid progenitor numbers during erythropoietic stress. Together, our findings show that Fam210b plays a key role in the splenic response to erythropoietic stress. Our findings reveal a critical role for FAM210B in mediating splenic stress erythropoiesis and suggest it may act as a sex-specific regulator, potentially linked to androgen signaling.