What is "erythropoietin"

n. (context biochemistry English) A glycoprotein hormone that functions as a cytokine for erythrocyte precursors in bone marrow

n. a glycoprotein secreted by the kidneys that stimulates the production of red blood cells

Erythropoietin ( or ; from , erythros 'red' and , poiein 'make'), also known as EPO, hematopoietin, or hemopoietin, is a glycoprotein hormone that controls erythropoiesis, or red blood cell production. It is a cytokine (protein signaling molecule) for erythrocyte (red blood cell) precursors in the bone marrow. Human EPO has a molecular weight of 34 kDa.

Erythropoietin is produced by interstitial fibroblasts in the kidney in close association with peritubular capillary and proximal convoluted tubule. It is also produced in perisinusoidal cells in the liver. While liver production predominates in the fetal and perinatal period, renal production is predominant during adulthood.

Exogenous erythropoietin can be provided to people whose kidneys cannot make enough. Recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) is produced by recombinant DNA technology in cell culture. Several different pharmaceutical agents are available with a variety of glycosylation patterns and are collectively called erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESA). Major examples are epoetin alfa and epoetin beta. The specific details for labeled use vary between the package inserts, but ESAs have been used in the treatment of anemia in chronic kidney disease, anemia in myelodysplasia, and in anemia from cancer chemotherapy. Boxed warnings include a risk of death, myocardial infarction, stroke, venous thromboembolism, and tumor recurrence. rhEPO has been used illicitly as a performance-enhancing drug; it can often be detected in blood, due to slight differences from the endogenous protein, for example, in features of posttranslational modification.