A highland-adaptation variant near MCUR1 reduces its transcription and attenuates erythrogenesis in Tibetans

Elsevier, Cell GenomicsVolume 5, Issue 3, 12 March 2025, 100782
Authors: 
Jie Ping, Xinyi Liu, Yiming Lu, Cheng Quan, Pengcheng Fan, Hao Lu, Qi Li, Cuiling Wang, Zheng Zhang, Mengyu Liu, Shunqi Chen, Lingle Chang, Yuqing Jiang, Qilin Huang, Jie Liu, Tana Wuren, Huifang Liu, Ying Hao, Longli Kang, Guanjun Liu, Gangqiao Zhou

To identify genomic regions subject to positive selection that might contain genes involved in high-altitude adaptation (HAA), we performed a genome-wide scan by whole-genome sequencing of Tibetan highlanders and Han lowlanders. We revealed a collection of candidate genes located in 30 genomic loci under positive selection. Among them, MCUR1 at 6p23 was a novel pronounced candidate. By single-cell RNA sequencing and comprehensive functional studies, we demonstrated that MCUR1 depletion leads to impairment of erythropoiesis under hypoxia and normoxia. Mechanistically, MCUR1 knockdown reduced mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake and then concomitantly increased cytosolic Ca2+ levels, which thereby reduced erythropoiesis via the CAMKK2-AMPK-mTOR axis. Further, we revealed rs61644582 at 6p23 as an expression quantitative trait locus for MCUR1 and a functional variant that confers an allele-specific transcriptional regulation of MCUR1. Overall, MCUR1-mediated mitochondrial Ca2+ homeostasis is highlighted as a novel regulator of erythropoiesis, deepening our understanding of the genetic mechanism of HAA.