Abstract: Objective To study the role of SLC30A3 in erythroid differentiation. Methods After SLC30A3 was over-expressed by plasmid vector in human erythroleukemia K-562 cell line, markers of erythroid differentiation including CD235, ε-、γ- and β-globin, as well as cell proliferation rate were measured. Flow cytometry was used to assess the expression of CD235. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to measure the mRNA level of globins. The protein level of transcription factor GATA-2 was evaluated by Western blot. MTS assay was used to check the cell proliferation rate. Results Over-expression of SLC30A3 up-regulated the expression level of erythroid differentiation specific marker CD235. The percentage of CD235(+) cells increased to 95.7%±0.14% compared to that of the negative control which was 34.25%±16.89%. The expression of ε-、γ- and β-globin were also remarkably up-regulated. The expression of erythroid differentiation-related transcription factor GATA-2 was down-regulated. And the cell proliferation rate was accelerated in response to SLC30A3 over-expression. Conclusion SLC30A3 promotes early erythroid differentiation in human erythroleukemia K-562 cell line.

Key words: SLC30A3, erythroid differentiation, K562 cell