Loss of Nupr1 promotes engraftment by tuning the quiescence threshold of hematopoietic stem cell repository via regulating p53-checkpoint pathway

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are dominantly quiescent under homeostasis, which is a key mechanism of maintaining the HSC pool for life-long hematopoiesis. Dormant HSCs poise to be immediately activated on urgent conditions and can return to quiescence after regaining homeostasis. To date, the molecular networks of regulating the threshold of HSC dormancy, if exist, remain largely unknown. Here, we unveiled that deletion of Nupr1, a gene preferentially expressed in HSCs, activated the quiescence HSCs under homeostatic status, which conferred engraftment competitive advantage on HSCs without compromising their stemness and multi-lineage differentiation abilities in serial transplantation settings. Following an expansion protocol, the Nupr1-/- HSCs proliferate more robustly than their wild type counterparts in vitro. Nupr1 inhibits the expression of p53 and the rescue of which offsets the engraftment advantage. Our data unveil the de novo role of Nupr1 as an HSC quiescence-regulator, which provides insights into accelerating the engraftment efficacy of HSC transplantation by targeting the HSC quiescence-controlling network.

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Loss of Nupr1 promotes engraftment by tuning the quiescence threshold of hematopoietic stem cell repository via regulating p53-checkpoint pathway

10.1101/2020.07.16.205898 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Tongjie Wang ◽

Chengxiang Xia ◽

Qitong Weng ◽

Kaitao Wang ◽

Yong Dong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

De Novo ◽

Molecular Networks ◽

Wild Type ◽

Hematopoietic Stem ◽

Lineage Differentiation ◽

Checkpoint Pathway ◽

Expansion Protocol ◽

Serial Transplantation

AbstractHematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are dominantly quiescent under homeostasis, which is a key mechanism of maintaining the HSC pool for life-long hematopoiesis. Dormant HSCs poise to be immediately activated on urgent conditions and can return to quiescence after regaining homeostasis. To date, the molecular networks of regulating the threshold of HSC dormancy, if exist, remain largely unknown. Here, we unveiled that deletion of Nupr1, a gene preferentially expressed in HSCs, activated the quiescence HSCs under homeostatic status, which conferred engraftment competitive advantage on HSCs without compromising their stemness and multi-lineage differentiation abilities in serial transplantation settings. Following an expansion protocol, the Nupr1-/- HSCs proliferate more robustly than their wild type counterparts in vitro. Nupr1 inhibits the expression of p53 and the rescue of which offsets the engraftment advantage. Our data unveil the de novo role of Nupr1 as an HSC quiescence-regulator, which provides insights into accelerating the engraftment efficacy of HSC transplantation by targeting the HSC quiescence-controlling network.

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G-CSF Mediated Decrease in Bone-Marrow SDF-1 Level Is Neutrophil Dependent but CD26 Independent

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v112.11.3469.3469 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 112 (11) ◽

pp. 3469-3469

Author(s):

Pratibha Singh ◽

Seiji Fukuda ◽

Janardhan Sampath ◽

Louis M. Pelus

Keyword(s):

Bone Marrow ◽

Magnetic Beads ◽

Critical Role ◽

Alternative Mechanism ◽

Wild Type ◽

Hematopoietic Stem ◽

Osteoblast Activity

Abstract Interaction of CXCR4 expressed on hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC) with bone-marrow stromal SDF-1 is believed to play a central role in retention or mobilization of HSPC. Recently, a mobilization regimen of G-CSF was shown to decrease osteoblast number resulting in reduced levels of bone-marrow SDF-1, however the detailed mechanism leading to this reduction is currently unknown. It is unlikely that G-CSF directly regulates osteoblast SDF-1 production since osteoblasts do not express G-CSF receptor. Proteolytic cleavage of SDF-1 by peptidase CD26 in the bone-marrow may be an alternative mechanism responsible for reduction of SDF-1 level. Although CD26 can cleave SDF-1 in vitro, direct evidence of SDF-1 cleavage by CD26 in vivo during G-CSF induced HSPC mobilization has not been demonstrated. We previously demonstrated that neutrophils are required for G-CSF induced HSPC mobilization and that CD26 expression on neutrophils, rather than HSPC, is critical for mobilization. To more fully understand the role of CD26 in altering SDF-1 protein/activity during G-CSF induced HSPC mobilization, we quantitated bone-marrow SDF-1 levels in CD26−/− and wild-type CD26+/+ mice by ELISA during G-CSF administration. A standard 4 day G-CSF mobilization regimen (100 μg/kg bid, sc × 4 days) decreased bone-marrow total SDF-1 from 4.55±0.3 to 0.52±0.06 ng/femur in wild-type CD26+/+ mice (8.7-fold) and from 4.51±0.3 to 0.53±0.05 ng/femur (8.5-fold) in CD26−/− mice. However, despite an equivalent decrease in SDF-1, total CFU mobilization and the absolute number of mobilized SKL cells were decreased (3.1 and 2.0 fold lower, respectively) in CD26−/− mice compared to wild-type CD26+/+ controls. These results suggest that the decrease in total SDF-1 level in marrow seen following G-CSF treatment is independent of CD26. Cytological examination of bone-marrow smears showed that the reduction in SDF-1 levels in bone-marrow of both wild-type CD26+/+ and CD26−/− mice following G-CSF administration correlated with an increase in total absolute bone-marrow neutrophil cell number, suggesting a role for neutrophils in modulation of SDF-1 protein. To determine if neutrophils affect osteoblast SDF-1 production, bone marrow Gr-1+ neutrophils from wild-type CD26+/+ and CD26−/− mice were purified using anti-Ly6G magnetic beads and co-cultured with MC3T3-E1 preosteoblasts in vitro. Gr-1+ neutrophils from both wild-type and CD26−/− mice decreased pre-osteoblast SDF-1 production by similar amounts (15.4-fold vs 14.8-fold respectively), while Gr-1 neg cells from both wild-type CD26+/+ or CD26−/− were without effect on SDF-1 levels. Similarly, Gr-1+ neutrophils from both wild-type and CD26−/− mice decreased SDF-1 produced by MC3T3-E1-derived osteoblasts from 1.85±0.3 to 0.52±0.06 ng/ml (3.5 fold) and 0.56±0.07 ng/ml (3.3 fold) respectively, with Gr-1neg cells having no effect. Gr-1+ neutrophils either from wild-type or CD26−/− mice, but not Gr-1neg cells, significantly induced apoptosis of MC3T3-E1 cells as measured by Annexin-V staining (70.5%±10.2 vs 71.2%±12.5 for wild-type CD26+/+ and CD26−/− neutrophils respectively) and significantly inhibited osteoblast activity (20-fold vs 20.6-fold for CD26+/+ and CD26−/− neutrophils respectively) as measured by osteocalcin expression. Furthermore, irrespective of G-CSF treatment, an inverse correlation between absolute neutrophil number and SDF-1 protein levels was observed, suggesting that G-CSF induces neutrophil expansion but does not directly affect SDF-1 production. Collectively, these results provide additional support for the critical role of neutrophils in G-CSF induced mobilization and strongly suggested that neutrophils directly regulate bone-marrow SDF-1 levels independent of CD26 activity.

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The Role of Nucleophosmin In Hematopoietic Stem Cells and the Pathogenesis of Myelodysplastic Syndrome

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v116.21.95.95 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 116 (21) ◽

pp. 95-95 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Keisuke Ito ◽

Paolo Sportoletti ◽

John G Clohessy ◽

Grisendi Silvia ◽

Pier Paolo Pandolfi

Keyword(s):

Stem Cells ◽

Stem Cell ◽

Myelodysplastic Syndrome ◽

Cell Biology ◽

De Novo ◽

Stem Cell Biology ◽

Hematopoietic Stem

Abstract Abstract 95 Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is an incurable stem cell disorder characterized by ineffective hematopoiesis and an increased risk of leukemia transformation. Nucleophosmin (NPM) is directly implicated in primitive hematopoiesis, the pathogenesis of hematopoietic malignancies and more recently of MDS. However, little is known regarding the molecular role and function of NPM in MDS pathogenesis and in stem cell biology. Here we present data demonstrating that NPM plays a critical role in the maintenance of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and the transformation of MDS into leukemia. NPM is located on chromosome 5q and is frequently lost in therapy-related and de novo MDS. We have previously shown that Npm1 acts as a haploinsufficient tumor suppressor in the hematopoietic compartment and Npm1+/− mice develop a hematologic syndrome with features of human MDS, including increased susceptibility to leukemogenesis. As HSCs have been demonstrated to be the target of the primary neoplastic event in MDS, a functional analysis of the HSC compartment is essential to understand the molecular mechanisms in MDS pathogenesis. However, the role of NPM in adult hematopoiesis remains largely unknown as Npm1-deficiency leads to embryonic lethality. To investigate NPM function in adult hematopoiesis, we have generated conditional knockout mice of Npm1, using the Cre-loxP system. Analysis of Npm1 conditional mutants crossed with Mx1-Cre transgenic mice reveals that Npm1 plays a crucial role in adult hematopoiesis and ablation of Npm1 in adult HSCs leads to aberrant cycling and followed by apoptosis. Analysis of cell cycle status revealed that HSCs are impaired in their ability to maintain quiescence after Npm1-deletion and are rapidly depleted in vivo as well as in vitro. Competitive reconstitution assay revealed that Npm1 acts cell-autonomously to maintain HSCs. Conditional inactivation of Npm1 leads to an MDS phenotype including a profoundly impaired ability to differentiate into cells of the erythroid lineage, megakaryocyte dyspoiesis and centrosome amplification. Furthermore, Npm1 loss evokes a p53-dependent response and Npm1-deleted HSCs undergo apoptosis in vivo and in vitro. Strikingly, transfer of the Npm1 mutation into a p53-null background rescued the apoptosis of Npm1-ablated HSCs and resulted in accelerated transformation to an aggressive and lethal form of acute myeloid leukemia. Our findings highlight the crucial role of NPM in stem cell biology and identify a new mechanism by which MDS can progress to leukemia. This has important therapeutic implications for de novo MDS as well as therapy-related MDS, which is known to rapidly evolve to leukemia with frequent loss or mutation of TRP53. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

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Disruption of Tet2 Leads to Enhanced Self-Renewal and Competitive Repopulating Capacity of Fetal Liver Hematopoietic Stem Cells

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v118.21.2331.2331 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 118 (21) ◽

pp. 2331-2331

Author(s):

Hiroyoshi Kunimoto ◽

Yumi Fukuchi ◽

Masatoshi Sakurai ◽

Ken Sadahira ◽

Yasuo Ikeda ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Stem Cells ◽

Hematopoietic Stem Cells ◽

Peripheral Blood ◽

Gene Trap ◽

Wild Type ◽

Self Renewal ◽

Hematopoietic Stem ◽

Myeloid Malignancies ◽

Serial Transplantation

Abstract Abstract 2331 TET2 (ten-eleven-translocation 2) gene has been reported to be frequently mutated in various human myeloid malignancies, including myeloproliferative neoplasms, myelodysplastic syndromes, acute myeloid leukemia, and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia. These observations suggest critical roles of TET2 dysfunction in molecular pathogenesis of myeloid malignancies. Recent studies using conditional knockout mouse model indicated that mouse Tet2 loss leads to clonal dominance of adult hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in competitive repopulation assay. However, self-renewal capacity of adult HSCs has never been addressed precisely by serial transplantation assay. In addition, the effect of Tet2 loss on hematopoietic stem/ progenitor cells was examined only in the BM, but not in the fetal livers (FLs). Since FL HSCs and adult HSCs differ in several aspects of their phenotypes and functions, we speculated that Tet2 might be involved differently in the regulation of FL and adult hematopoiesis. To address this issue, we analyzed E14.5 FL cells from Tet2 gene-trap (Tet2gt) mice. In these mice, gene trap-cassette was inserted into the second intron, just before the first coding exon. RT-PCR analysis showed that over 99% of Tet2 mRNAs from endogenous promoter were trapped by the gene-trap cassette in Tet2gt/gt mice, showing that Tet2gt allele can be considered as a null allele. Initial analysis showed that Tet2gt/gt embryos developed normally, but most Tet2gt/gt mice were perinatally lethal. Total numbers of FL cells and the numbers of committed progenitors in FLs as revealed by colony assays were not significantly different between each genotype. Interestingly, Tet2gt/gt embryos displayed significant increase in lineage (Lin)(-)Sca-1(+)c-Kit(+)(LSK) fraction compared to wild type (WT) (Tet2+/+) littermate (2.42±0.66% vs. 1.17±0.18%, p=0.02). In addition, common myeloid progenitor (CMP) fraction (IL7Rα(-), Lin(-), Sca-1(-), C-Kit(+), CD34(+), FcgRII/ III(low)) was significantly increased in Tet2gt/gt FLs compared to WT (9.04±1.09% vs. 6.26±0.53%, p=0.008). In serial transplantation assays, donor cells derived from Tet2+/gt and Tet2gt/gt FLs showed significantly higher peripheral blood chimerism in secondary and tertiary recipient mice as compared to that of WT cells, showing that disruption of Tet2 leads to the enhanced self-renewal capacity of FL HSCs. Moreover, donor-derived HSC fraction (CD34−LSK cells) was significantly expanded in the recipients of Tet2gt/gt FL cells, suggesting that increased self-renewal capacity is cell intrinsic to Tet2gt/gt HSCs. We have also examined differentiation of Tet2-mutant FL cells in the recipients' peripheral blood, and found that Tet2gt/gt cells displayed impaired differentiation to Gr-1(+)CD11b(+) mature granulocytes (WT vs. Tet2gt/gt = 5.02±1.35% vs. 11.5±3.09% in the primary recipients) and slight, but significant increase of B cells. Liquid culture of FL cells with cocktails of cytokines in vitro demonstrated that Tet2gt/gt FL cells retained higher percentage and number of LSK, Lin- and c-Kit+ cells after the culture for 7-days compared to WT cells, showing enhanced resistance of Tet2gt/gt cells to differentiative stimuli in in vitro culture. It is of note that Tet2+/gt mice showed a significant increase in hematopoietic stem/progenitor fraction (LSK) in the BM compared to wild type littermate (0.48±0.11% vs. 0.32±0.04%, p=0.04). However, they presented no signs of extramedullary hematopoiesis such as splenomegaly and expansion of LSK cells in spleens during an observation up to 35-weeks. Taken together, we demonstrate that Tet2 critically regulates self-renewal and long-term repopulating capacity of FL HSCs and has pleiotropic functions in myeloid and lymphoid differentiation. These data strongly indicate that Tet2 is an essential regulator of BM and FL hematopoiesis. In addition, enhanced HSC self-renewal, expansion of HPC and myeloid progenitors and perturbed myeloid differentiation induced by TET2 ablation likely to set molecular basis for myeloid transformation, which explains high incidence of loss-of-function mutations of TET2 in myeloid malignancies. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

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Modeling MLL-PTD Related Myelodysplastic Syndromes in Mouse.

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v120.21.2811.2811 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 120 (21) ◽

pp. 2811-2811

Author(s):

Xiaomei Yan ◽

Yue Zhang ◽

Goro Sashida ◽

Aili Chen ◽

Xinghui Zhao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

De Novo ◽

Conflicts Of Interest ◽

Gene Dosage ◽

Fetal Liver ◽

Loss Of Function ◽

Wild Type ◽

Self Renewal ◽

Hematopoietic Stem ◽

De Novo Aml

Abstract Abstract 2811 MLL partial tandem duplication (MLL-PTD) is found in 5–8% of human MDS, secondary acute myeloid leukemia (s-AML) and de novo AML. The molecular and clinical features of MLL-PTD+ AML are different from MLL-fusion+ AML, although they share similar worse outcomes. Mouse knock-in model of Mll-PTD has been generated to understand its underlining mechanism (Dorrance et al. JCI. 2006). Using this model, we've recently reported hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell (HSPC) phenotypes of MllPTD/WT mice. Their HSPCs showed increased apoptosis and reduced cell number, but they have a proliferative advantage over wild-type HSPCs. Furthermore, the MllPTD/WT–derived phenotypic ST-HSCs/MPPs and even GMPs have self-renewal capabilities. However, MllPTD/WT HSPCs never develop MDS or s-AML in primary or transplanted recipient mice, suggesting that additional genetic and/or epigenetic defects are necessary for transformation (Zhang et al. Blood. 2012). Recently, high frequent co-existences of both MLL-PTD and RUNX1 mutations have been reported in several MDS, s-AML and de novo AML clinical cohorts, which strongly suggest a potential cooperation for transformation between these two mutations. Our previous study has shown that MLL interacts with and stabilizes RUNX1 (Huang et al. Blood. 2011). Thus, we hypothesize that reducing RUNX1 dosage may facilitate the MLL-PTD mediated transformation toward MDS and/or s-AML. We first generated the mice containing one allele of Mll-PTD in a Runx1+/− background and assessed HSPCs of MllPTD/wt/Runx1+/− double heterozygous (DH) mice. The DH newborns are runty; they frequently die in early postnatal stage and barely survive to adulthood, compared to the normal life span of wild type (WT) or single heterozygous (Mllwt/wt/Runx1+/− and MllPTD/wt/Runx1+/+) mice. We studied DH embryos fetal liver hematopoiesis and found reduced LSK and LSK/SLAM+ cells, partly because of increased apoptosis. Enhanced proliferation was found in DH fetal liver cells (FLCs) in vitro CFU replating assays over WT and MllPTD/wt/Runx1+/+ controls. DH FLCs also showed dominant expansion in both serial competitive and serial non-competitive BMT assays compared to WT controls. The DH derived phenotypic ST-HSCs/MPPs and GMPs also have enhanced self-renewal capabilities, rescuing hematopoiesis by giving rise to long-term repopulating cells in recipient mice better than cells derived from MllPTD/wt/Runx1+/+ mice. However, DH HSPCs didn't develop MDS or s-AML in primary or in serial BMT recipient mice. We further generated MllPTD/wt/Runx1Δ/Δ mice using Mx1-Cre mediated deletion. These mice showed thrombocytopenia 1 month after pI-pC injection, and developed pancytopenia 2–4 months later. All these MllPTD/wt/Runx1Δ/Δ mice died of MDS induced complications within 7–8 months, and tri-lineages dysplasias (TLD) were found in bone marrow aspirate. However, there are no spontaneous s-AML found in MllPTD/wt/Runx1Δ/Δ mice, which suggests that RUNX1 mutants found in MLL-PTD+ patients may not be simply loss-of-function mutations and present gain-of-function activities which cooperate with MLL-PTD in human diseases onsets. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that: 1) RUNX1 gene dosage reverse-correlates with HSPCs self-renewal activity; 2) Runx1 complete deletion causes MDS in Mll-PTD background. Future studies are needed to fully understand the collaboration between MLL-PTD and RUNX1 mutations for MDS development and leukemic transformation, which should facilitate improved therapies and patient outcomes. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

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A limited role for p16Ink4a and p19Arf in the loss of hematopoietic stem cells during proliferative stress

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood-2004-06-2242 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 106 (3) ◽

pp. 827-832 ◽

Cited By ~ 51

Author(s):

Lilia Stepanova ◽

Brian P. Sorrentino

Keyword(s):

Stem Cells ◽

Bone Marrow ◽

Hematopoietic Stem Cells ◽

Bone Marrow Cells ◽

Dominant Role ◽

Wild Type ◽

Hematopoietic Stem ◽

Serial Transplantation ◽

Marrow Cells

Abstract It has long been known that prolonged culture or serial transplantation leads to the loss of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs); however, the mechanisms for this loss are not well understood. We hypothesized that expression of p16Ink4a or p19Arf or both may play a role in the loss of HSCs during conditions of enhanced proliferation, either in vitro or in vivo. Arf was not expressed in freshly isolated HSCs from adult mice but was induced in phenotypically primitive cells after 10 to 12 days in culture. When cultured bone marrow cells from either Arf–/– or Ink4a-Arf–/– mice were compared to wild-type cells in a competitive repopulation assay, no significant differences in HSC activity were seen. We then evaluated the role of p19Arf and p16Ink4a in the loss of HSCs during serial transplantation. Bone marrow cells from Ink4a-Arf–/–, but not Arf–/–, mice had a modestly extended life span and, on average, supported reconstitution of one additional recipient compared to wild-type cells. Mice given transplants of Ink4a-Arf–/–cells eventually did die of hematopoietic failure in the next round of transplantation. We conclude that mechanisms independent of the Ink4a-Arf gene locus play a dominant role in HSC loss during conditions of proliferative stress.

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The hemogenic endothelium: a critical source for the generation of PSC-derived hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells

Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences ◽

10.1007/s00018-021-03777-y ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Lucas Lange ◽

Michael Morgan ◽

Axel Schambach

Keyword(s):

Stem Cells ◽

De Novo ◽

Cell Types ◽

Hemogenic Endothelium ◽

Hematopoietic Stem ◽

Autologous Cell ◽

Stem And Progenitor Cells ◽

Bona Fide

AbstractIn vitro generation of hematopoietic cells and especially hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) from human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) are subject to intensive research in recent decades, as these cells hold great potential for regenerative medicine and autologous cell replacement therapies. Despite many attempts, in vitro, de novo generation of bona fide HSCs remains challenging, and we are still far away from their clinical use, due to insufficient functionality and quantity of the produced HSCs. The challenges of generating PSC-derived HSCs are already apparent in early stages of hemato-endothelial specification with the limitation of recapitulating complex, dynamic processes of embryonic hematopoietic ontogeny in vitro. Further, these current shortcomings imply the incompleteness of our understanding of human ontogenetic processes from embryonic mesoderm over an intermediate, specialized hemogenic endothelium (HE) to their immediate progeny, the HSCs. In this review, we examine the recent investigations of hemato-endothelial ontogeny and recently reported progress for the conversion of PSCs and other promising somatic cell types towards HSCs with the focus on the crucial and inevitable role of the HE to achieve the long-standing goal—to generate therapeutically applicable PSC-derived HSCs in vitro.

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The Role of Apoptosis in the Regulation of Hematopoietic Stem Cells

Journal of Experimental Medicine ◽

10.1084/jem.191.2.253 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 191 (2) ◽

pp. 253-264 ◽

Cited By ~ 226

Author(s):

Jos Domen ◽

Samuel H. Cheshier ◽

Irving L. Weissman

Keyword(s):

Stem Cells ◽

Hematopoietic Stem Cells ◽

Hematopoietic Cells ◽

Wild Type ◽

Direct Role ◽

Hematopoietic Stem

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) give rise to cells of all hematopoietic lineages, many of which are short lived. HSC face developmental choices: self-renewal (remain an HSC with long-term multilineage repopulating potential) or differentiation (become an HSC with short-term multilineage repopulating potential and, eventually, a mature cell). There is a large overcapacity of differentiating hematopoietic cells and apoptosis plays a role in regulating their numbers. It is not clear whether apoptosis plays a direct role in regulating HSC numbers. To address this, we have employed a transgenic mouse model that overexpresses BCL-2 in all hematopoietic cells, including HSC: H2K-BCL-2. Cells from H2K-BCL-2 mice have been shown to be protected against a wide variety of apoptosis-inducing challenges. This block in apoptosis affects their HSC compartment. H2K-BCL-2–transgenic mice have increased numbers of HSC in bone marrow (2.4× wild type), but fewer of these cells are in the S/G2/M phases of the cell cycle (0.6× wild type). Their HSC have an increased plating efficiency in vitro, engraft at least as well as wild-type HSC in vivo, and have an advantage following competitive reconstitution with wild-type HSC.

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JAK2V617F Mutant Megakaryocytes Contribute to Hematopoietic Aging in a Murine Model of Myeloproliferative Neoplasm

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood-2021-152960 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 138 (Supplement 1) ◽

pp. 2548-2548

Author(s):

Sandy Lee ◽

Helen Wong ◽

Melissa Castiglione ◽

Malea M Murphy ◽

Kenneth Kaushansky ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Murine Model ◽

Immunofluorescent Staining ◽

Wild Type ◽

Platelet Factor ◽

Flip Flop ◽

Hematopoietic Stem ◽

Hematopoietic Niche ◽

Serial Transplantation

Abstract Introduction Recent studies implicated megakaryocytes (MKs) in regulating hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) function. Abnormal MK hyperplasia is a hallmark feature of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). In the present study, we investigated the effects of JAK2V617F-bearing MKs on HSC aging in a murine model of MPN during a 2-yr follow up. Methods JAK2V617F Flip-Flop (FF1) mice (which carry a Cre-inducible human JAK2V617F gene driven by the human JAK2 promoter) and Pf4-Cre mice (which express Cre under the promoter of platelet factor 4, a MK-specific gene) were crossed to generate MK lineage-specific human JAK2V617F transgenic mouse line (Pf4 +FF1 +). Results During aging, the Pf4 +FF1 +mice maintained an essential thrombocythemia phenotype with no evidence of transformation to leukemia or myelofibrosis (Figure 1). Myeloid-biased HSCs (Lin -cKit +Sca1 +CD150 +CD48 -CD41 +) were significantly expanded in 1yr old and 2yr old Pf4 +FF1 +mice compared to age-matched control mice, while no difference in myeloid-biased HSC numbers was detected between young (6mo) Pf4 +FF1 +mice and control mice. Competitive repopulation assays and serial transplantation assays showed that HSCs from old Pf4 +FF1 +mice had a reduced engraftment and self-renewal capacity with a skewed differentiation towards the myeloid lineage. Results from the serial transplantation experiments also indicated that the functional decline of HSCs in aged Pf4 +FF1 +mice were HSC-intrinsic and was not reversible. Both cell cycle analysis by Hoechst33342 and Pyronin Y staining and cell proliferation analysis by in vivo BrdU labeling revealed that the JAK2V617F mutant MK niche can promote hematopoietic aging in old Pf4 +FF1 +mice by increasing HSC proliferation/cycling. Taken together, the Pf4 +FF1 +mice demonstrated several hallmarks of accelerated HSC aging.(Figure 2) Next, we examined the hematopoietic microenvironment in the old Pf4 +FF1 + mice. Using whole-mount immunofluorescent staining and confocal imaging, we found that the cKit +HSPCs were located further from MKs in old Pf4 +FF1 +mice compared to old control mice. We also found that CD45 -CD31 +Sca1 - sinusoidal marrow endothelial cell (EC) number (by flow cytometry analysis) and marrow vascular area (by in vivo VE-cadherin staining) were significantly decreased in aged Pf4 +FF1 +mice compared to control mice. Tube formation assays confirmed that conditioned medium from old Pf4 +FF1 +MK culture significantly inhibited EC angiogenesis in vitro. These findings suggest that the JAK2V617F mutant MK niche not only altered its own interaction with HSCs during aging, but also suppressed the vascular niche function to promote HSC aging. (Figure 3) To further understand the mechanisms by which JAK2V617F mutant MKs promote HSC aging, we performed both RNA sequencing and targeted cytokine arrays of wild-type and JAK2V617F mutant MKs from both young (6mo) and old (2yr) Pf4-cre control and Pf4 +FF1 +mice. We found that HSC aging had a profound effect on MK transcriptomic profiles and dysregulated pathways in cell adhesion molecules, MAPK signaling, NF-kappa B signaling, hematopoietic cell lineage, and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction were highly upregulated in old JAK2V617F mutant MKs compared to young JAK2V617F mutant MKs. FAS ligand, IL-12, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1, IL-10, IL-6, MIG, macrophage inflammatory protein 1a, GCSF, IL-5, MIP-1g were produced in increased amounts in old mutant MKs compared to old wild-type MKs. Many of these factors are involved in inflammation, angiogenesis, extracellular matrix remodeling, and hematopoiesis regulation. Sensitive PCR assays confirmed that human JAK2 gene was expressed in MKs but not in HSCs in 2yr old Pf4 +FF1 +mice. In vitro co-culture and in vivo co-transplantation assays provided further evidence that the JAK2V617F mutant MKs affected wild-type HSC function directly. Therefore, the hematopoietic aging phenotype we have observed was not caused by any direct effect of the JAK2V617F mutation on HSC function because the Pf4 promoter was 'leaky'. Conclusions Results from this study support that, as a hematopoietic niche cell, MKs represent an important connection between the extrinsic and intrinsic mechanisms for HSC aging in MPNs -- the JAK2V617F-bearing MKs can alter the hematopoietic niche to accelerate HSC aging, and HSC aging in turn can profoundly remodel the niche e.g. by affecting MK transcriptomics. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

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Biological Analysis of SRSF2 Mutations in Leukemogenesis

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v120.21.1282.1282 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 120 (21) ◽

pp. 1282-1282

Author(s):

Manabu Matsunawa ◽

Masashi Sanada ◽

Ryo Yamamoto ◽

Kenichi Yoshida ◽

Yasunobu Nagata ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bone Marrow ◽

Cell Proliferation ◽

Rna Binding ◽

Stem Cell Population ◽

Wild Type ◽

Gain Of Function ◽

Sr Protein ◽

Hematopoietic Stem

Abstract Abstract 1282 Emerging evidence is establishing a connection between MDS and spliceosome mutations. Spliceosome including SF3b1, U2AF1 and SRSF2 are frequently and exclusively mutated in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and related myeloid neoplasms. Spliceosome mutations occur at varying frequencies in different disease subtypes. SF3B1 was shown to be highly associated with MDS characterized by increased ring sideroblasts and SRSF2 mutations are more prevalent in chronic myelomonocytic leukemia. In spite of the fact that the recent discovery constitutes a novel class of genomic lesions and defines an entirely new pathogenic pathway of leukaemogenesis, the pathogenesis of spliceosome mutation is not largely understood. To understanding the biological consequences of spliceosomal mutations, we previously reported mutant U2AF1 cause altered RNA splicing, and overexpressed mutant U2AF1 decrease in cell proliferarion. However, currently, no functional analysis of SRSF2 mutation has been published. SRSF2 belongs to the serine/arginine-rich (SR) protein family. SR proteins are a family of RNA binding proteins characterized by one or two RNA recognition motifs (RRMs) and a signature RS domain enriched with arginine and serine repeats (RS domain).Growing body of evidence suggests that SR protein may be directly involved in the process of carcinogenesis. Gene knockout experiment indicated SRSF2 is involved with specific pathways in regulating cell proliferation and genomic stability during mammalian organogenesis. In neck and head tumor, SRSF2 is frequently overexpressed. And upregulated SRSF2 increases missplicing and downregulates E-cadherin expression, which is an important tumor suppressor gene. Therefore SRSF2 potential function in tumorigenesis is suggested in epithelial cancers. SRSF2 mutations with MDS exclusively occur at P95 within an intervening sequence between RRM and RS domains, indicating a gain-of-function nature of these mutations. So, to clarify the biological role of SRSF2 mutations in leukemogenesis, we evaluated the oncogenic role of SRSF mutations by expressing a mutant SRSF2 allele in Jurkat cells. The cells transduced with a tumor-derived SRSF2 allele showed reduced cell proliferation and increased apoptosis compared to the mock and wild type SRSF2-transduced cells. Next we performed in vitro colony assay using a highly purified hematopoietic stem cell population (CD34-c-Kit+ScaI+ Lin-(CD34-KSL) cells) collected from C57BL/6 (B6)-Ly5.1 mouse that was retrovirally transduced with mock, mutant or wild-type SRSF2 construct. The mutant SRSF2-transduced cells showed reduced cell proliferation compared with mock- or wild-type SRSF2 transduced cells. Subsequently, we conducted bone marrow transplantaion assay. We collected CD34-KSL cells from B6-Ly5.1 mouse, and retrovirally transduce mock, mutant or wild-type SRSF2 construct, each harbouring the EGFP marker gene. And these cells were sorted by EGFP marker, and transplanted with competitor cells (B6-Ly5.1/5.2 F1 mice origin) into lethally irradiated B6-Ly5.2 mice. The wild-type SRSF2-transduced cells showed a lower reconstitution capacity than the mock-transduced cells. On the other hand, the recipients of the cells transduced with the mutant SRSF2 showed lower EGFP-positive cell chimaerism than those of the mock- or the wild-type SRSF2-transduced. Therefore, the mutant SRSF2 was indicated to have a negative effect on cellular proliferation capacity in vitro and in vivo, and a gain-of-function nature of these mutations is suggested. These results are similar to the effect of U2AF1 mutant, which we reported mutant U2AF1 transduced TF-1 and HeLa cells present with a decrease in cell proliferation and hematopoietic stem cells expressing mutant U2AF1 also displayed lower reconstitution capacity by competitive reconstitution assay in mice. So far, the mechanism responsible for the growth advantage of mutant cells in patient is unclear. We furthermore observe hematopoietic phenotype of the bone marrow transplanted model mouse. SRSF2 mutations can coexist with mutations in TET2, ASXL1 and RUNX1. Therefore we performed additionally bone marrow transplantation assay, utilizing hematopoietic cells derived from TET2 knockdown mice, as a model of multistep carcinogenesis. We will present the results of our biological assay on the SRSF2 mutations and discuss the pathogenesis of MDS. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

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