Purine Metabolism and Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Stem Cells Under Stress

Abstract Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) play a key role in the lifelong maintenance of hematopoiesis through self-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation. Adult HSCs reside within a specialized microenvironment of the bone marrow (BM), called "niche", in which they are maintained in a quiescent state in cell cycle. Most of HSCs within BM show quiescence under the hypoxic niche. Since the loss of HSC quiescence leads to the exhaustion or aging of stem cells through excess cell division, the regulation of quiescence in HSCs is essential for hematopoietic homeostasis. On the other hand, cellular metabolism has been suggested to play a critical role in many biological processes including the regulation of stem cell properties and functions. However, the metabolic condition and adaptation of stem cells remain largely unaddressed. First, we have analyzed HSC metabolism using metabolomics approaches. With step-wise differentiation of stem cells, the cell metabolism associated with each differentiation stage may be different. A feature of quiescent HSCs is their low baseline energy production; quiescent HSCs rely on glycolysis and exhibit low mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm). Likewise, HSCs with a low ΔΨm show higher reconstitution activity in BM hematopoiesis, compared to cells with high ΔΨm. By contrast, upon stress hematopoiesis, HSCs actively divide and proliferate. However, the underlying mechanism for the initiation of HSC division still remains unclear. In order to elucidate the mechanism underlying the transition of cell cycle state in HSCs, we analyzed the change of mitochondria activity in HSCs after BM suppression induced by 5-fluoruracil (5-FU). Upon 5-FU treatment, cycling progenitors are depleted and then quiescent HSCs start to divide. We found that HSCs initiate cell division after exhibiting enhanced ΔΨm, as a result of increased intracellular Ca2+ level. We hypothesize that extracellular adenosine, derived from hematopoietic progenitors, inhibits the calcium influx and mitochondrial metabolism. While further activation of Ca2+-mitochondria pathway led to loss of the stem cell function after cell division, the appropriate suppression of intracellular Ca2+ level by nifedipine, a blocker of L-type voltage-gated Ca2+ channels, prolonged cell division interval in HSCs, and simultaneously achieved both cell division and HSC maintenance (self-renewal division). Thus, our results indicate that the adenosine-Ca2+-mitochondria pathway induces HSC division critically to determine HSC cell fate. Next, to examine the mitochondria oxidative metabolism and purinergic pathways, we introduced the study on a tumor suppressor, Folliculin (FLCN). Conditional deletion of FLCN in HSC compartment using the Mx1-Cre or Vav-iCre system disrupted HSC quiescence and BM homeostasis dependently on the lysosomal stress response induced by TFE3. Together all, we propose that the change in cellular metabolism involving mitochondria is crucial for HSC homeostasis in the stress settings. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

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Pbx1 Regulates the Self-Renewal of Long-Term Hematopoietic Stem Cells by Maintaining Their Quiescence.

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v110.11.94.94 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 110 (11) ◽

pp. 94-94 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Francesca Ficara ◽

Mark J. Murphy ◽

Min Lin ◽

Michael L. Cleary

Keyword(s):

Stem Cells ◽

Stem Cell ◽

Acute Leukemia ◽

B Cell ◽

Quiescent State ◽

Self Renewal ◽

Hematopoietic Stem ◽

Hematopoietic System ◽

Cell Fate Decisions

Abstract Pbx1 is a proto-oncogene that was originally discovered at the site of chromosomal translocations in pediatric acute leukemia. It codes for a homeodomain transcription factor, which is a component of hetero-oligomeric protein complexes that regulate developmental gene expression. Lack of Pbx1 is associated with multiple patterning malformations, defects in organogenesis, and severe fetal anemia, however embryonic lethality has prevented an assessment of its roles in the adult hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) compartment and in lymphoid differentiation. The objective of this study was to characterize the physiological roles for Pbx1 in the hematopoietic system, specifically in the regulation of cell fate decisions involved in the timing and/or extent of postnatal HSC and progenitor proliferation, self-renewal or differentiation capacity. A genetic approach was employed to conditionally inactivate Pbx1 in the hematopoietic compartment in vivo using Cre recombinase expressed under the control of the Tie2 or Mx1 promoters. A crucial role for Pbx1 in the development of the lympho-hematopoietic system was evidenced by reduced size, cell number, and altered architectures of the thymus and spleen in mutant mice. A marked reduction was observed in the bone marrow (BM) pro- and pre-B cell compartment, as well as a striking reduction (up to 10-fold) in common lymphoid progenitors (CLP), suggesting a role for Pbx1 at a critical stage of lymphoid development where acute leukemia likely originates. Accordingly, abnormal T cell development was observed in the thymus. Common myeloid progenitors (CMP) and Lin-cKit+Sca1+ (LKS, enriched in HSCs) cells were also reduced, as well as long-term stem cells (LT-HSCs, reduced 7-fold on average). Assessment of the proliferation status of LT- and ST (short-term)-HSCs, as well as multi-potent progenitors (MPP), revealed that the reduction of the HSC compartment was associated with a higher number of stem cells exiting the G0 phase, thus losing their quiescent state. Strikingly, Pbx1-deficient BM cells failed to engraft in competitive transplants, but were able to reconstitute congenic recipients in the absence of competition, indicating a profound defect of functional HSCs, which nevertheless retained reconstitution potential. Importantly, Pbx1 deficient HSCs progressively disappeared from primary transplant recipients, and were unable to engraft secondary recipients, demonstrating that Pbx1 is crucial for the maintenance of LT-HSC self-renewal. Microarray studies performed on mutant and wt LT- and ST-HSCs, followed by bioinformatics analysis, showed that in the absence of Pbx1 LT-HSCs are characterized by premature expression of a large subset of ST-HSC genes. The up-regulated differentially expressed transcripts are enriched for cell cycle regulatory genes, consistent with the observed increased cycling activity. Notably, more than 8% of the down-regulated genes are related to the Tgf-beta pathway, which serves a major role in maintaining HSC quiescence. Moreover, B-cell specific genes, which are expressed in the wt LT-HSC compartment, are down-regulated in the absence of Pbx1, suggesting that the observed reduction in CLP and B-cell numbers ultimately arose from a stem cell defect in lymphoid priming. We conclude that Pbx1 is at the apex of a transcriptional cascade that controls LT-HSC quiescence and differentiation, thus allowing the maintenance of their self-renewal potential, crucial for the homeostasis of the lympho-hematopoietic system.

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Microrna 199b Regulates Mouse Hematopoietic Stem Cells Maintenance

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood-2019-126283 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 134 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 3704-3704

Author(s):

Aldona A Karaczyn ◽

Edward Jachimowicz ◽

Jaspreet S Kohli ◽

Pradeep Sathyanarayana

Keyword(s):

Cell Cycle ◽

Stem Cells ◽

Hematopoietic Stem Cells ◽

Conflicts Of Interest ◽

Quiescent State ◽

Differentiation Potential ◽

Self Renewal ◽

Hematopoietic Stem

The preservation of hematopoietic stem cell pool in bone marrow (BM) is crucial for sustained hematopoiesis in adults. Studies assessing adult hematopoietic stem cells functionality had been shown that for example loss of quiescence impairs hematopoietic stem cells maintenance. Although, miR-199b is frequently down-regulated in acute myeloid leukemia, its role in hematopoietic stem cells quiescence, self-renewal and differentiation is poorly understood. Our laboratory investigated the role of miR-199b in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) fate using miR-199b-5p global deletion mouse model. Characterization of miR-199b expression pattern among normal HSPC populations revealed that miR-199b is enriched in LT-HSCs and reduced upon myeloablative stress, suggesting its role in HSCs maintenance. Indeed, our results reveal that loss of miR-199b-5p results in imbalance between long-term hematopoietic stem cells (LT-HSCs), short-term hematopoietic stem cells (ST-HSCs) and multipotent progenitors (MMPs) pool. We found that during homeostasis, miR-199b-null HSCs have reduced capacity to maintain quiescent state and exhibit cell-cycle deregulation. Cell cycle analyses showed that attenuation of miR-199b controls HSCs pool, causing defects in G1-S transition of cell cycle, without significant changes in apoptosis. This might be due to increased differentiation of LT-HSCs into MPPs. Indeed, cell differentiation assay in vitro showed that FACS-sorted LT-HSCs (LineagenegSca1posc-Kitpos CD48neg CD150pos) lacking miR-199b have increased differentiation potential into MPP in the presence of early cytokines. In addition, differentiation assays in vitro in FACS-sorted LSK population of 52 weeks old miR-199b KO mice revealed that loss of miR-199b promotes accumulation of GMP-like progenitors but decreases lymphoid differentiation, suggesting that miR199b may regulate age-related pathway. We used non-competitive repopulation studies to show that overall BM donor cellularity was markedly elevated in the absence of miR-199b among HSPCs, committed progenitors and mature myeloid but not lymphoid cell compartments. This may suggest that miR-199b-null LT-HSC render enhanced self-renewal capacity upon regeneration demand yet promoting myeloid reconstitution. Moreover, when we challenged the self-renewal potential of miR-199b-null LT-HSC by a secondary BM transplantation of unfractionated BM cells from primary recipients into secondary hosts, changes in PB reconstitution were dramatic. Gating for HSPCs populations in the BM of secondary recipients in 24 weeks after BMT revealed that levels of LT-HSC were similar between recipients reconstituted with wild-type and miR-199b-KO chimeras, whereas miR-199b-null HSCs contributed relatively more into MPPs. Our data identify that attenuation of miR-199b leads to loss of quiescence and premature differentiation of HSCs. These findings indicate that loss of miR-199b promotes signals that govern differentiation of LT-HSC to MPP leading to accumulation of highly proliferative progenitors during long-term reconstitution. Hematopoietic regeneration via repopulation studies also revealed that miR-199b-deficient HSPCs have a lineage skewing potential toward myeloid lineage or clonal myeloid bias, a hallmark of aging HSCs, implicating a regulatory role for miR-199b in hematopoietic aging. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

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The Side Population Contains Functionally Distinct Hematopoietic Stem Cell Subpopulations

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v112.11.2464.2464 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 112 (11) ◽

pp. 2464-2464

Author(s):

Grant Anthony Challen ◽

Margaret A Goodell

Keyword(s):

Cell Cycle ◽

Stem Cells ◽

Bone Marrow ◽

Stem Cell ◽

Side Population ◽

Clonal Diversity ◽

Stem Cell Markers ◽

Self Renewal ◽

Hematopoietic Stem ◽

Hematopoietic System

Abstract Over the decades since hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) were first identified, the traditional view has been that the hematopoietic system is regenerated by a single pool of multipotent, quiescent HSCs that are sequentially recruited into cell cycle and which then progressively divide and differentiate until they are exhausted and ultimately replaced by the next cohort of stem cells. However, recent evidence has challenged this classical clonal succession model of HSC hierarchy by suggesting that the hematopoietic system is maintained by a pool of different HSC subtypes, with distinct self-renewal and differentiation potentials (the clonal diversity model, Figure 1). The side population (SP), characterized by Hoechst dye efflux, has been used as a method for isolating HSCs for over a decade and the SP has been shown to be highly enriched for HSC activity. While the entire SP is strikingly homogeneous with respect to expression of canonical stem cell markers such as Sca-1 and c-Kit, we recently observed heterogeneous expression for the SLAM family molecule CD150 within the SP, with CD150+ cells more prevalent in the lower SP and CD150− cell more prevalent in the upper SP. We decided to examine this observation further by investigating the properties of cells from different regions of the SP. Functional capacity was assessed by competitive bone marrow transplantation of upper SP cells, lower SP cells, and a combination of the two populations. Lower SP cells showed better engraftment than upper SP cells in recipient mice, a trend that continued when donor HSCs were isolated from primary recipients and re-transplanted into secondary hosts. Lower SP cells showed 3-fold better engraftment than upper SP cells in secondary transplants, suggesting better self-renewal capacity. However, analysis of the hematopoietic lineages formed by donor cells in recipient mice demonstrated that while both upper and lower SP cells were capable of forming all mature lineages, lower SP cells were biased towards myeloid differentiation while upper SP cells were biased towards lymphoid differentiation. The lineage biases observed from transplantation of one cell population alone were exacerbated when both upper and lower SP cells were co-transplanted into the same recipient mouse, suggesting that while both populations are capable of forming all hematopoietic lineages, in the presence of the other stem cell type (as would be the case in normal homeostasis) that the majority of the output from each HSC subtype is almost exclusively lymphoid or myeloid. The lineage contribution trends observed in the peripheral blood were also reproduced when bone marrow of transplanted mice was analyzed, including at the level of progenitors with lower SP cells showing greater ability to make myeloid progenitors (megakaryocyte-erythrocyte progenitors and granulocyte-macrophage progenitors) and upper SP cells producing proportionately more common lymphoid progenitors. Microarray analysis of upper and lower SP cells to determine the molecular signatures underlying these functional differences found many genes critical for long-term HSC self-renewal to be highly expressed in lower SP cells including Rb1, Meis1, Pbx1 and TGFbr2 while upper SP cells showed higher expression of cell cycle and activation genes. Cell cycle analysis showed upper SP cells to be approximately 2-fold more proliferative than lower SP cells (18.9% to 8.3% Ki-67+, 39.4% to 20.1% BrdU+ 3-days post-BrdU administration). The clonal diversity model which proposes the adult HSC compartment consists of a fixed number of different HSC subtypes each with pre-programmed behavior has important implications for using HSCs in experimental and clinical settings. While other studies have provided functional evidence for the clonal diversity model, this is the first study to prospectively isolate the functionally distinct HSC subtypes prior to transplantation. Figure Figure

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Secreted Mediators of Self-Renewal of Hematopoietic Stem Cells Identified Using Bio-Informatic Analysis of Co-Cultures of HSC and Stromal Cells.

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v120.21.2353.2353 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 120 (21) ◽

pp. 2353-2353

Author(s):

Baiba Vilne ◽

Rouzanna Istvanffy ◽

Christina Eckl ◽

Franziska Bock ◽

Olivia Prazeres da Costa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Cycle ◽

Stem Cells ◽

Cell Division ◽

Hematopoietic Stem Cells ◽

Stromal Cells ◽

Tissue Growth ◽

Functional Enrichment ◽

Self Renewal ◽

Hematopoietic Stem ◽

A Cell

Abstract Abstract 2353 Hematopoiesis is maintained throughout life by the constant production of mature blood cells from hematopoietic stem cells (HSC). One mechanism by which the number of HSC is maintained is self-renewal, a cell division in which at least one of the daughter cells is a cell with the same functional potential as the mother cell. The mechanisms of this process are largely unknown. We have described cell lines that maintain self-renewal in culture. To study possible mechanisms and mediators involved in self-renewal, we performed co-cultures of HSC model cells: Lineage-negative Sca-1+ c-Kit+ (LSK) cells and HSC maintaining UG26–1B6 stromal cells. Microarray analyses were performed on cells prior to co-culture and cells sorted from the cultures. STEM clustering analysis of the data revealed that most changes in gene expression were due to early cell activation. Functional enrichment analysis revealed dynamic changes in focal adhesion and mTOR signaling, as well as changes in epigenetic regulators, such as HDAC in stromal cells. In LSK cells, genes whose products are involved in inflammation, Oxygen homeostasis and metabolism were differentially expressed after the co-culture. In addition, genes involved in the regulaton of H3K27 methylation were also affected. Interestingly, connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), which is involved in TGF-b, BMP and Wnt signaling, was upregulated in both stromal and LSK cells in the first day of co-culture. To study a possible extrinsic role of CTGF as a stromal mediator, we co-cultured siCTGF knockdown stromal cells with wild-type LSK cells. Since self-renewal requires cell division, we focused on cell cycle regulation of LSK cells. We found that knockdown of CTGF in stromal cells downregulates CTGF in LSK cells. In addition, knockdown of stromal CTGF downregulated Ccnd1, Cdk2, Cdkn1a (p21), Ep300 and Fos. On the other hand, decreased CTGF in stromal cells upregulates Cdkn1b (p27) and phosphorylation of Smad2/3. These results show that stromal CTGF regulates the cell cycle of LSK cells. On a functional level, we found that decreased stromal CTGF results in an increased production of MPP and myeloid colony-forming cells in 1-week co-cultures. We will present data showing whether and how a decrease in CTGF in stromal cells affects the maintenance of transplantable HSC. In summary, our current results indicate that reduced expression of CTGF in stromal cells regulates mediators of cell cycle and Smad2/3-mediated signaling in LSK cells, resulting in an increased production of myeloid progenitors. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

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Loss Of p53 Rescues The Defective Function Of Foxo3-/- Hematopoietic Stem Cells But Enhances Their Predisposition To Malignancy

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v122.21.4199.4199 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 122 (21) ◽

pp. 4199-4199 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Carolina L. Bigarella ◽

Pauline Rimmele ◽

Rebeca Dieguez-Gonzalez ◽

Raymond Liang ◽

Brigitte Izac ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Cell Cycle ◽

Stem Cells ◽

Dna Repair ◽

Stem Cell ◽

Gene Expression Profile ◽

Double Mutant ◽

Self Renewal ◽

Hematopoietic Stem ◽

Anti Oxidant

Abstract Leukemic stem cells (LSCs) share many of the same properties of normal hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) including their highly quiescent state, capacity to self-renew, low levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and enhanced DNA repair program. These properties make the efficient and specific eradication of these cells challenging. Foxo3 and p53 are two transcription factors essential for the modulation of HSC quiescence and self-renewal. While Foxo3 is inhibited by signaling from several oncoproteins but crucial for the maintenance of the LSCs in both chronic and acute myeloid leukemia (CML and AML respectively), mutations of p53 although rare, are associated with poor prognosis in advanced stages of these diseases. In vivo ROS-mediated activation of p53 is known to lead to loss of quiescence, alterations of cell cycle and exhaustion of the Foxo3-/- HSC pool. Seeking to understand the contribution of p53 to Foxo3-/- HSC cycling defects, we crossed p53+/- and Foxo3+/- mice. To our surprise we found the bone marrow (BM) frequency of both p53+/-Foxo3-/- and p53-/-Foxo3-/- LSK (Lin-Sca1+cKit+) and long-term-HSC (LT-HSC, LSK Flk2-CD34-) populations greatly increased as compared to their Foxo3-/- counterparts (n=5 mice per genotype; p<0.05). Using Ki67 and DAPI staining we found that loss of one or both alleles of p53 gradually rescued the cell cycle defect of Foxo3-/- HSC and increased the frequency of LSK cells in Go by 2-fold. Loss of p53 also rescued the impaired capacity of Foxo3-/- LSK cells to competitively repopulate multilineage blood over 16 weeks, as shown by the higher frequency of p53+/-Foxo3-/- and p53-/-Foxo3-/- donor-derived cells in the peripheral blood of recipient animals (∼47% recipients of double-mutant cells versus 20% in Foxo3-/- recipients, n=5 per group). Furthermore, loss of p53 significantly improved the compromised self-renewal of Foxo3 mutant HSC in serial BM transplantations. In our quest to identify mechanisms whereby p53 depletion improves Foxo3-/- HSC function, we noticed that the DNA damage accumulated in Foxo3-/- HSC at the steady-state was remarkably ameliorated by removal of one or both alleles of p53 from Foxo3-/- HSCs, as measured by flow cytometry levels of phospho-H2AX (gamma-H2AX) and DNA breaks by comet assay (n=3, p<0.05). Unexpectedly, ROS levels were also significantly reduced by 30% in p53+/-Foxo3-/- in comparison to Foxo3-/- LSK cells, while ROS levels in p53+/- LSK cells were similar to that in WT cells. Consistent with these results, the expression of several anti-oxidant enzymes including Sod1, Sod2, Catalase, Gpx1, Sesn1 and Sesn2 (n≥2), was highly upregulated while a number of genes implicated in mitochondrial generation of ROS were significantly deregulated as a result of loss of one or both alleles of p53. These combined findings suggest that a switch from anti-oxidant to pro-oxidant activity of p53 contributes to Foxo3-/- HSC defects. Despite their apparent normal stem cell function, p53+/-Foxo3-/- HSC were highly altered in their gene expression profile. Interestingly, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) of the microarray analysis (Illumina bead chip mouse-Ref8) of WT, p53+/-, Foxo3-/-, and p53+/-Foxo3-/- LSK cells showed that a cluster of genes associated with fatty acid metabolism was highly enriched in p53+/-Foxo3-/- HSCs (ES=0.746; p<0.01). In addition, from 3976 genes exclusively deregulated in p53+/-Foxo3-/- LSK cells, 201 (out of 1051) overlapped with genes downregulated, while 9 (out of 14) overlapped with genes exclusively upregulated in a LSC-gene signature. To evaluate whether this pre-leukemic profile was associated with increased susceptibility to malignancy, we compared the potential and timeline of BCR-ABL-transformed p53+/-Foxo3-/- HSC as compared to controls in establishing CML in mice. We found a shorter time to the onset of the disease and decreased survival of the recipients of p53+/-Foxo3-/- transformed HSCs (n=4 per group, p<0.05) as compared to WT and Foxo3-/- controls. We propose that the p53+/-Foxo3-/- double-mutant HSCs are enriched for preleukemic stem cells based on their quiescence and self-renewal capacity, low ROS, robust DNA repair, susceptibility to transformation and aberrant gene expression profile. These findings raise the possibility that the coordinated Foxo3 and p53 regulation of ROS wires together the stem cell program. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

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Ca2+–mitochondria axis drives cell division in hematopoietic stem cells

Journal of Experimental Medicine ◽

10.1084/jem.20180421 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 215 (8) ◽

pp. 2097-2113 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

Terumasa Umemoto ◽

Michihiro Hashimoto ◽

Takayoshi Matsumura ◽

Ayako Nakamura-Ishizu ◽

Toshio Suda

Keyword(s):

Stem Cells ◽

Cell Division ◽

Hematopoietic Stem Cells ◽

Cell Fate ◽

Mitochondrial Membrane ◽

Channel Blocker ◽

Underlying Mechanism ◽

Quiescent State ◽

Hematopoietic Stem ◽

Mitochondria Pathway

Most of the hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) within the bone marrow (BM) show quiescent state with a low mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm). In contrast, upon stress hematopoiesis, HSCs actively start to divide. However, the underlying mechanism for the initiation of HSC division still remains unclear. To elucidate the mechanism underlying the transition of cell cycle state in HSCs, we analyzed the change of mitochondria in HSCs after BM suppression induced by 5-fluoruracil (5-FU). We found that HSCs initiate cell division after exhibiting enhanced ΔΨm as a result of increased intracellular Ca2+ level. Although further activation of Ca2+–mitochondria pathway led to loss of HSCs after cell division, the appropriate suppression of intracellular Ca2+ level by exogenous adenosine or Nifedipine, a Ca2+ channel blocker, prolonged cell division interval in HSCs, and simultaneously achieved both cell division and HSC maintenance. Collectively, our results indicate that the Ca2+–mitochondria pathway induces HSC division critically to determine HSC cell fate.

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N-Cadherin Induces Hematopoietic Stem Cells in a Quiescent State in the Bone Marrow Niche.

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v106.11.470.470 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 106 (11) ◽

pp. 470-470 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kentaro Hosokawa ◽

Fumio Arai ◽

Toshio Suda

Keyword(s):

Bone Marrow ◽

Stem Cell ◽

Cell Adhesion ◽

Stromal Cells ◽

Quiescent State ◽

Self Renewal ◽

Hematopoietic Stem ◽

Quiescent Hscs

Abstract Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are responsible for blood cell production throughout the lifetime of individuals. Interaction of HSCs with their particular microenvironments, known as stem cell niches, is critical for maintaining the stem cell properties, including self-renewal capacity and the ability of differentiation into single or multiple lineages. The niche cells produce signaling molecules, extracellular matrix, and cell adhesion molecules, and regulate stem cell fates. Recently, it was clarified that long-term bone marrow (BM) repopulating (LTR) HSCs exist frequently in BM trabecular bone surface, and that N-cadherin + spindle-shaped osteoblasts (OBs) are identified as a major niche component. We found that side-population (SP) in c-Kit +Sca-1 +Lin −(KSL) fraction, which is the quiescent HSC in the OB niche, expressed N-cadherin. Expression of N-cadherin in both of the quiescent HSCs and OBs thought to be essential for an adherens junction between HSCs and OBs in the niche. However, the role of N-cadherin in hematopoiesis is still unclear. In this study, we focused on the function of N-cadherin in the maintenance of the stem cell specific property, such as cell adhesion, quiescence, and LTR-activity. To clarify the function of N-cadherin in hematopoiesis, we prepared the retroviruses expressing wild-type N-cadherin, transfected retroviruses into OP9 stromal cell line and KSL cells, and performed the coculture. After coculture of KSL cells with OP9 cells, long-term culture-initiating cells (LTC-ICs) were maintained on OP9 cells overexpressing WT-N-cadherin (OP9/WT-NCAD). In addition, overexpression of WT-N-cadherin in both of the KSL cells and stromal cells enhanced cobblestone formation. N-cadherin overexpressing KSL cell showed slow-cell division from the single cell, when they cultured on OP9/WT-N-cedherin or N-cadherin-Fc protein coated plates, suggesting that N-cadherin-mediated cell-cell adhesion between HSCs and stromal cells enhances the quiescence of HSCs and keeps HSCs in immature state in in vitro. To clarify the role of N-cadherin in the BM reconstitution ability of HSC, we transfected control-IRES-GFP, WT-N-cadherin-IRES-GFP and N-cedherin/390Δ-IRES-GFP retrovirus into the Ly5.1 BM mononuclear cells and transplanted into lethally irradiated Ly5.2 mice. N-cedherin/390Δ, which is a mutant N-cadherin with a deletion at the extracellular domain, exhibits a dominant negative effect on the activity of endogenous cadherins. Control and WT-N-cadherin expressing cell reconstitute the recipient mice BM, while N-cadherin/390Δ expressing cells did not. It suggests that the adhesion between HSCs and BM niche cell is indispensable for the LTR-activity. In addition, we found that WT-N-cadherin overexpressing HSCs were enriched in the SP fraction after 4 months of BM transplantation, indicating that N-cadherin-mediated cell adhesion induced HSCs in the quiescent and kept quiescent HSCs in the niche. Altogether, these observations suggest that N-cadherin is a critical niche factor for the maintenance of the quiescence and self-renewal activity of HSCs. N-cadherin promotes tight adhesion of HSCs to the niche and keeps HSCs in the quiescent state

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Genetic Uncoupling of the Regulation of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Quiescence and Self-Renewal.

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v108.11.1347.1347 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 108 (11) ◽

pp. 1347-1347

Author(s):

Yan Liu ◽

Yasuhiko Miyata ◽

Goro Sashida ◽

Anthony Debalsio ◽

Yuhui Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Stem Cells ◽

Bone Marrow ◽

Stem Cell ◽

Hematopoietic Stem Cells ◽

Hematopoietic Stem Cell ◽

Quiescent State ◽

Double Knockout ◽

Ki 67 ◽

Self Renewal ◽

Hematopoietic Stem

Abstract It is usually stated that HSCs must choose to either self-renew or to differentiate and lose some of their multi potentiality. Recently, we demonstrated that MEF, an ETS family of transcription factor, played an important role in regulating HSC quiescence, illustrating a third choice for the HSC, namely to make an “active” choice and remain quiescent, without undergoing either self-renewal, or differentiation. MEF null HSCs are more quiescent than normal HSCs. In addition, MEF null mice exhibit greater numbers of hematopoietic stem cells and show resistance to chemotherapy and radiation. Little is known about the regulation of self-renewal vs. quiescence of HSCs, however the cdk inhibitor p21 has been implicated in regulating both HSC quiescence and proliferation. In the absence of p21, hematopoietic stem cell numbers are reported to be increased, but so is proliferation, leading to stem cell exhaustion. This implies that while p21 may maintain HSCs in their quiescent state, MEF functions to facilitate the entry of quiescent HSCs into the cycle, To investigate the potential opposing roles of MEF and p21 in HSC quiescence and self-renewal and to test whether the quiescent state of MEF null HSCs is dependent on the presence of p21, we have generated MEF / p21 double-knockout (DKO) mice. These mice are viable and born at normal mendelian frequency. MEF / p21 DKO mice have a higher than normal proportion of HSCs in the G0 phase, based on Pyronin Y/Hoechst staining and staining for the proliferation antigen Ki-67. Thus, the increased quiescence is not dependent on the presence of p21. However, by measuring LSK cells, we have observed a normal number of HSCs in the bone marrow of MEF / p21 DKO mice, in contrast to the increased number of HSCs in the bone marrow of MEF null mice. This suggests that the increased number of hematopoietic stem cells in MEF null mice is dependent on p21. Ongoing studies will further address the unique mechanisms that control HSC vs. stem cell expansion.

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Foxo3a Is Essential for the Quiescence and Self-Renewal of Hematopoietic Stem Cells.

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v108.11.442.442 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 108 (11) ◽

pp. 442-442

Author(s):

Kana Miyamoto ◽

Atsushi Hirao ◽

Kiyomi Y. Araki ◽

Fumio Arai ◽

Kazuhito Naka ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Cycle ◽

Stem Cells ◽

Hematopoietic Stem Cells ◽

Blood Cells ◽

Quiescent State ◽

Self Renewal ◽

Hematopoietic Stem ◽

Cell Functions

Abstract Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are maintained in an undifferentiated quiescent state in bone marrow (BM). Quiescent stem cells show resistance to various stresses, suggesting that mechanisms for protection of HSC life from stress contribute to maintenance of self-renewal capacity through a whole life in animals. We hypothesized that a signaling pathway for regulating aging might be involved in stem cell functions. FOXO transcription factors belong to the forkhead family of transcriptional regulators characterized by a conserved DNA-binding domain termed “forkhead box”. In C.elegans, genetic analyses have revealed the existence of a conserved insulin-like signaling involved in longevity. Conservation of this pathways lead to speculation that forkhead transcriptional factor are involved in life span in mammals. It was known that active-state Foxo3a is localized in nucleus, and we found HSC-specific nuclear localization of Foxo3a by immunocytochemistric study, therefore we generated gene-targeted Foxo3a−/− mice to analyze roles of Foxo in HSC regulation. Peripheral blood count showed decreased number of red blood cells in Foxo3a−/− mice, but numbers of white blood cells and platelets were normal. In colony-forming assay, we detected the numbers and sizes of myeloid, erythroid and mixed colonies derived from Foxo3a−/− BM mononuclear cells were all normal. These results suggest that the proliferation and differentiation of Foxo3a−/− progenitors were normal. However, the number of colony-forming cells present in long-term culture of Foxo3a−/− c-kit+Sca-1+Lin− (KSL) cells with stroma was significantly reduced. The ability of Foxo3a−/− HSCs to support long-term reconstitution of hematopoiesis in a competitive transplantation assay was also impaired, indicating that self-renewal capacity of HSCs was defective in Foxo3a−/− mice. To understand the mechanisms of this phenotypes, we evaluated the cell cycle status using BrdU (5-bromodeoxyuridine) incorporation but found no difference in Foxo3a+/+ and Foxo3a−/− progenitor cells. To directly evaluate HSC quiescence in Foxo3a−/− mice, we stained CD34−KSL cells with Pyronin Y. Although most Foxo3a+/+ CD34−KSL cells stained negatively for Pyronin Y, a sizable Pyronin Y+ population was detected among Foxo3a−/− CD34−KSL cells, demonstrating that loss of Foxo3a leads to a defect in the maintenance of HSCs quiescence. Since p38MAPK is selectively activated by environmental stress, we evaluated the activation status of p38MAPK in Foxo3a+/+ and Foxo3a−/− HSCs. Frequency of phosphorylated p38MAPK+ cells in Foxo3a−/−CD34−KSL cells was significantly increased than that of Foxo3a+/+CD34−KSL cells. Our results suggest that Foxo3a−/− HSCs subjected to tangible stress in vivo. Finally, we investigated the sensitivity of Foxo3a−/− mice to weekly 5-fluorouracil treatment in vivo. Although 60% of Foxo3a+/+mice survived for at least 4 weeks post-injection, all Foxo3a−/− mice were dead in 4 weeks. It suggests that Foxo3a protects hematopoietic cells from destruction by cell cycle-dependent myelotoxic agent. Taken together, our results demonstrate that Foxo3a plays a pivotal role in maintaining HSC quiescence and stress resistance.

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Regulation of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Quiescence - A Novel Role for p53.

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v110.11.92.92 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 110 (11) ◽

pp. 92-92

Author(s):

Yan Liu ◽

Shannon E. Elf ◽

Yasuhiko Miyata ◽

Goro Sashida ◽

Anthony D. Deblasio ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Cycle ◽

Stem Cells ◽

Stem Cell ◽

Steady State ◽

Target Genes ◽

Self Renewal ◽

Hematopoietic Stem ◽

Stem Cell Quiescence ◽

Cell Quiescence ◽

P53 Target Genes

Abstract Although the p53 tumor suppressor can elicit cell-cycle arrest or apoptosis in hematopoietic cells upon DNA damage, its function during steady-state hematopoiesis is largely unknown. We demonstrated that the Ets transcription factor MEF/ELF4 regulates both HSC proliferation/self-renewal and quiescence, as Mef null mice exhibit greater numbers of hematopoietic stem cells and the Mef null HSCs are more quiescent than normal. As such, the hematopoietic compartment of Mef null mice shows significant resistance to chemotherapy and radiation (Lacorazza et al., Cancer Cell, 2006). In this study, we have investigated the mechanisms utilized by MEF/ELF4 to regulate the quiescence and self-renewal of hematopoietic stem cells, identifying p53 as a key regulator. We have recently found that Mef null mouse embryonic fibroblasts (mefs) accumulate p53 and undergo premature senescence; MEF appears to surpress the expression of p53 by directly upregulating Mdm2 (G. Sashida et al., submitted). We hypothesized that p53 may play a role in the enhanced stem cell quiescence or the increased HSC frequency seen in Mef null mice. To examine this, we generated p53−/− Mef −/− mice and compared HSC biology in the double knock out mice (p53−/− Mef −/−) vs p53 null mice, Mef null mice and wt mice. Loss of p53 decreased the fraction of Pyronin Ylow Lin-Sca-1+ cells, suggesting fewer quiescent HSCs, and staining of CD34-LSK cells for the proliferation marker Ki67 also showed enhanced HSC proliferation in the absence of p53 (with fewer quiescent cells present). These data suggest that p53 promotes quiescence in HSCs, and in the absence of p53, HSCs more readily enter the cell cycle. When we analyzed the DKO (p53−/− Mef −/−) mice, we observed that the percentage of G0 HSCs returned to normal, indicating that p53 is essential for maintaining the enhanced quiescence of MEF null HSCs. p21 is a major target gene of p53 in cells, and has been shown to play an important role in maintaining HSC quiescence. As expeceted, we found elevated levels of p21 mRNA in MEF null LSK cells and reasoned that p21 may account for their enhanced quiescence. We generated p21 −/− Mef −/− mice, which are viable, born at normal mendelian frequency and appear grossly normal. However, cell cycle analysis of HSCs obtained from p21 −/− Mef −/− mice showed that the enhanced quiescence in MEF null HSCs did not depend on p21, indicating that other p53 target genes play an important role in maintaining stem cell quiescence. We therefore utilized transcript profiling (Microarray studies and quantitative PCR analysis) to identify potential p53-regulated genes that may be differentialy expressed in LSK cells isolated from wild type, p53−/−, Mef −/−, and p53−/− Mef −/− mice. By ChiP and luciferase reporter assays, we show for the first time that Gfi-1 and Necdin are direct transcriptional targets of p53 in HSCs and both Gfi-1 and Necdin regulate the enhanced quiescence exhibited in MEF null HSCs. Taken together, our work defines a novel role for p53 in the maintenance of HSC quiescence. Furthermore, HSC quiescence and self-renewal appear to be mediated by different p53 target genes during steady state hematopoiesis.

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