The Impact of Growth Differentiating Factor (GDF) 15 in Sickle Cell Disease and Hereditary Spherocytosis

The identification of the ferroportin/hepcidin axis has allowed the effect of erythroid activity on iron balance to be studied and has created the basis for better defining the erythroid regulators.

In iron-loading anemias, ineffective erythropoiesis suppresses hepcidin production, which result in dysregulating iron homeostasis. Miller and co-workers showed that release of cytokines like growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) during the process of ineffective erythropoiesis inhibits hepcidin production, thus defining a molecular link between ineffective erythropoiesis, suppression of hepcidin production and parenchymal iron loading.