A bulge uridine in the HIF2a IRE allows IRP1 but not IRP2 to selectively regulate HIF2a expression and ensuing EPO levels

Iron regulatory proteins (IRP1 and IRP2) play a pivotal role in maintaining cellular iron homeostasis by binding to iron-responsive elements (IREs) of target mRNAs and regulating the expression of these iron-related genes. Mice and humans that lack functional IRP1 develop erythrocytosis due to erythropoietin overproduction, whereas those that lack IRP2 develop microcytic anemia believed to result from iron deficiency of erythroblasts. Here, we discovered that IRP2 deficiency reduced …