Abcb10 regulates murine hematopoietic stem cell potential and erythroid differentiation.

Erythropoiesis in the adult bone marrow (BM) relies on mitochondrial membrane transporters to facilitate heme and hemoglobin production. Erythrocytes in the bone marrow are produced though the differentiation of erythroid progenitor cells which originate from hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Whether and how mitochondria transporters potentiate HSCs and affect their differentiation towards erythroid lineage remains unclear. Here we show that the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter 10 (Abcb10), located on the inner mitochondrial membrane, is essential for HSC maintenance and erythroid lineage differentiation. Induced deletion of Abcb10 in adult mice significantly increased erythroid progenitor cell and decreased HSC number within the BM. Functionally, Abcb10-deficient HSCs exhibited significant decrease in stem cell potential but with a skew towards erythroid-lineage differentiation. Mechanistically, deletion of Abcb10 rendered HSCs with excess mitochondrial iron accumulation and oxidative stress yet without alteration in mitochondrial bioenergetic function. However, impaired hematopoiesis could not be rescued through the in vivo administration of a mitochondrial iron chelator or antioxidant to Abcb10-deficient mice. Abcb10-mediated mitochondrial iron transfer is thus pivotal for the regulation of physiological HSC stem cell potential and erythroid lineage differentiation.