Autophagy deficiency in red pulp macrophages impairs their function and resistance to iron stress
In mammals, most of the iron is found in the heme of red blood cells (RBCs), which must be recycled to support erythropoiesis in the bone marrow. Splenic red pulp macrophages (RPMs) play a crucial role in this process by phagocytosing senescent RBCs, metabolizing the heme and releasing iron back into the blood. Free cytoplasmic iron generates toxic reactive oxygen species, yet iron-specific adaptations of RPMs are not well documented. We previously reported that autophagy prevents ferroptosis in Langerhans cells, a cutaneous phagocyte subset. Thus, we hypothesized that autophagy may be important for the regulation of RPM metabolism and their maintenance of systemic iron homeostasis. To study this, we used Atg5flox/flox and Cd169cre mouse models to delete ATG5 in CD169+ macrophages, including RPMs. Atg5-deficient RPMs were decreased in number, and the remaining ones showed increased generation of toxic lipid peroxides. Spleens of Atg5{Delta}Cd169 mice were enlarged and contained more RBCs. Finally, autophagy impairment in RPMs exacerbated RBC loss in a model of phenylhydrazine-induced anemia. Our findings exemplify how dysregulation of macrophage metabolism alters their function and can disrupt tissue homeostasis upon challenge.