Authors
Jiangjiang Zhu, Lun Li, Shang Shi, Mengshi Zhang, Hongxing Liu, Yongbo Bao
Published in
Fish & shellfish immunology. Pages 111799. Oct 29, 2026. Epub Oct 29, 2026.
Abstract
In vertebrates, macrophage-mediated erythrocyte clearance is central to iron recycling, but how comparable iron-handling functions are partitioned among hemocyte populations in red-blooded bivalves typified by the blood clam Anadara granosa remains unclear. In this study, erythrocytes and non-erythrocytic hemocytes were separated to characterize differences in the distribution of detectable ferrous iron (Fe2+) and iron metabolism-related transcriptional features and to identify candidate molecules associated with iron handling. Fe2+ assays showed higher assay-detectable Fe2+ in non-erythrocytic hemocytes than in erythrocytes. Localized enhancement of Fe2+ signals was further observed in phagocytosis-like regions, suggesting a possible association between erythrocyte-associated cellular interactions and localized Fe2+ enrichment. Comparative transcriptomic analysis revealed the upregulation of iron metabolism-related genes in non-erythrocytic hemocytes, together with functional annotations involving metal ion transport and intracellular processing, including phagosome, endocytosis, and lysosome. Among these genes, the DMT1/SLC11A2 homolog from A. granosa (AgDMT1) was more highly expressed in non-erythrocytic hemocytes and retained conserved features of the DMT1/SLC11A2 family. Together, these findings indicate a functional differentiation in iron metabolism between hemocyte populations, suggest a potential association between phagocytosis-related cellular processing and localized Fe2+ enrichment, and support AgDMT1 as a candidate Fe2+ transporter in non-erythrocytic hemocytes.
PMID:
42957141
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 30 Oct 2026.
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