PUBLICATION

TKI-mediated inhibition of NLRP1 inflammasome restores erythropoiesis in DBA syndrome

Authors
Lozano-Gil, J.M., Rodríguez-Ruiz, L., Palacios, M., Peral, J., Navarro, S., Fuster, J.L., Beléndez, C., Jérez, A., Murillo-Sanjuán, L., Díaz-de-Heredia, C., López-de-Hontanar, G., Zubicaray, J., Sevilla, J., Ferrer-Marín, F., Sepulcre, M.P., Cayuela, M.L., García-Moreno, D., Martínez-López, A., Tyrkalska, S.D., Mulero, V.
ID
ZDB-PUB-260110-14
Date
2026
Source
EMBO Molecular Medicine : (Journal)
Registered Authors
Mulero, Victor
Keywords
Diamond-Blackfan Anemia Syndrome, Drug Repurposing, NLRP1, Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors, Zebrafish
MeSH Terms
  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing*/antagonists & inhibitors
  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing*/metabolism
  • Anemia, Diamond-Blackfan*/drug therapy
  • Anemia, Diamond-Blackfan*/pathology
  • Animals
  • Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins*/antagonists & inhibitors
  • Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins*/metabolism
  • Caspase 1/metabolism
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Erythropoiesis*/drug effects
  • GATA1 Transcription Factor/metabolism
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cells/drug effects
  • Humans
  • Inflammasomes*/antagonists & inhibitors
  • Inflammasomes*/metabolism
  • K562 Cells
  • NLR Proteins
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors*/pharmacology
  • Pyrimidines/pharmacology
  • Ribosomal Proteins/deficiency
  • Ribosomal Proteins/genetics
  • Zebrafish
PubMed
41514124 Full text @ EMBO Mol. Med.
Abstract
Diamond-Blackfan anemia syndrome (DBAS) is marked by defective erythropoiesis caused by impaired ribosome biogenesis and aberrant signaling. Here, we investigate how ribosomal stress-induced activation of the NLRP1 inflammasome affects erythroid differentiation in DBAS. We demonstrate that FDA/EMA-approved tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) effectively mitigate defective erythropoiesis by inhibiting NLRP1 inflammasome activation. In K562 cells, nilotinib suppresses the ZAKα/P38/NLRP1/CASP1 axis, leading to increased GATA1 levels and upregulation of key erythroid genes. These effects were validated in human CD34⁺ hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) and zebrafish models, where nilotinib, imatinib, and dasatinib promoted erythropoiesis while reducing caspase-1 activity. In Rps19-deficient zebrafish, RPS19-deficient human HSPCs, and HSPCs from DBAS patients, TKIs rescued erythroid differentiation and restored hemoglobin levels. Our findings highlight that targeting the NLRP1 inflammasome with TKIs may provide a novel therapeutic strategy for DBAS and other ribosomopathies.
Genes / Markers
Figures
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Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping