Granulocyte colony stimulating factor expands hematopoietic stem cells within the central but not endosteal bone marrow region

Granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) is clinically well established for the mobilization of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC). Extensive data on the underlying mechanism of G-CSF induced mobilization is available; however, little is known regarding the functional effect of G-CSF on HSC within the bone marrow (BM). In this study we analyzed the proportion and number of murine HSC in the endosteal and central bone marrow regions after 4 days of G-CSF administration. We demonstrate that the number of HSC, defined as CD150(+)CD48(-)LSK cells (LSKSLAM cells), increased within the central BM region in response to G-CSF, but not within the endosteal BM region. In addition the level of CD150 and CD48 expression also increased on cells isolated from both regions. We further showed that G-CSF mobilized proportionally fewer LSKSLAM compared to LSK cells, mobilized LSKSLAM had colony forming potential and the presence of these cells can be used as a measure for mobilization efficiency. Together we provide evidence that HSC in the BM respond differently to G-CSF and this is dependent on their location. These findings will be valuable in developing new agents which specifically mobilize HSC from the endosteal BM region, which we have previously demonstrated to have significantly greater hematopoietic potential compared to their phenotypically identical counterparts located in other regions of the BM.     

Kit regulates maintenance of quiescent hematopoietic stem cells

Hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) numbers are tightly regulated and maintained in postnatal hematopoiesis. Extensive studies have supported a role of the cytokine tyrosine kinase receptor Kit in sustaining cycling HSCs when competing with wild-type HSCs posttransplantation, but not in maintenance of quiescent HSCs in steady state adult bone marrow. In this study, we investigated HSC regulation in White Spotting 41 (Kit(W41/W41)) mice, with a partial loss of function of Kit. Although the extensive fetal HSC expansion was Kit-independent, adult Kit(W41/W41) mice had an almost 2-fold reduction in long-term HSCs, reflecting a loss of roughly 10,000 Lin(-)Sca-1(+)Kit(high) (LSK)CD34(-)Flt3(-) long-term HSCs by 12 wk of age, whereas LSKCD34(+)Flt3(-) short-term HSCs and LSKCD34(+)Flt3(+) multipotent progenitors were less affected. Whereas homing and initial reconstitution of Kit(W41/W41) bone marrow cells in myeloablated recipients were close to normal, self-renewing Kit(W41/W41) HSCs were progressively depleted in not only competitive but also noncompetitive transplantation assays. Overexpression of the anti-apoptotic regulator BCL-2 partially rescued the posttransplantation Kit(W41/W41) HSC deficiency, suggesting that Kit might at least in the posttransplantation setting in part sustain HSC numbers by promoting HSC survival. Most notably, accelerated in vivo BrdU incorporation and cell cycle kinetics implicated a previously unrecognized role of Kit in maintaining quiescent HSCs in steady state adult hematopoiesis.     

SLAM family receptors distinguish hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells and reveal endothelial niches for stem cells

To improve our ability to identify hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and their localization in vivo, we compared the gene expression profiles of highly purified HSCs and non-self-renewing multipotent hematopoietic progenitors (MPPs). Cell surface receptors of the SLAM family, including CD150, CD244, and CD48, were differentially expressed among functionally distinct progenitors. HSCs were highly purified as CD150(+)CD244(-)CD48(-) cells while MPPs were CD244(+)CD150(-)CD48(-) and most restricted progenitors were CD48(+)CD244(+)CD150(-). The primitiveness of hematopoietic progenitors could thus be predicted based on the combination of SLAM family members they expressed. This is the first family of receptors whose combinatorial expression precisely distinguishes stem and progenitor cells. The ability to purify HSCs based on a simple combination of SLAM receptors allowed us to identify HSCs in tissue sections. Many HSCs were associated with sinusoidal endothelium in spleen and bone marrow, though some HSCs were associated with endosteum. HSCs thus occupy multiple niches, including sinusoidal endothelium in diverse tissues.     

Cripto regulates hematopoietic stem cells as a hypoxic-niche-related factor through cell surface receptor GRP78

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are maintained in hypoxic niches in endosteal regions of bones. Here we demonstrate that Cripto and its receptor GRP78 are important regulators of HSCs in the niche. Flow cytometry analyses revealed two distinct subpopulations of CD34(-)KSL cells based on the expression of GRP78, and these populations showed different reconstitution potential in transplantation assays. GRP78(+)HSCs mainly reside in the endosteal area, are more hypoxic, and exhibit a lower mitochondrial potential, and their HSC capacity was maintained in?vitro by Cripto through induction of higher glycolytic activity. Additionally, HIF-1α KO mice have decreased numbers of GRP78(+)HSCs and reduced expression of Cripto in the endosteal niche. Furthermore, blocking GRP78 induced a movement of HSCs from the endosteal to the central marrow area. These data suggest that Cripto/GRP78 signaling is an important pathway that regulates HSC quiescence and maintains HSCs in hypoxia as an intermediary of HIF-1α.     

Lineage(-)Sca1+c-Kit(-)CD25+ cells are IL-33-responsive type 2 innate cells in the mouse bone marrow

IL-33 promotes type 2 immune responses, both protective and pathogenic. Recently, targets of IL-33, including several newly discovered type 2 innate cells, have been characterized in the periphery. In this study, we report that bone marrow cells from wild-type C57BL/6 mice responded with IL-5 and IL-13 production when cultured with IL-33. IL-33 cultures of bone marrow cells from Rag1 KO and Kit(W-sh/W-sh) mice also responded similarly; hence, eliminating the possible contributions of T, B, and mast cells. Rather, intracellular staining revealed that the IL-5- and IL-13-positive cells display a marker profile consistent with the Lineage(-)Sca-1(+)c-Kit(-)CD25(+) (LSK(-)CD25(+)) cells, a bone marrow cell population of previously unknown function. Freshly isolated LSK(-)CD25(+) cells uniformly express ST2, the IL-33 receptor. In addition, culture of sorted LSK(-)CD25(+) cells showed that they indeed produce IL-5 and IL-13 when cultured with IL-33 plus IL-2 and IL-33 plus IL-7. Furthermore, i.p. injections of IL-33 or IL-25 into mice induced LSK(-)CD25(+) cells to expand, in both size and frequency, and to upregulate ST2 and α(4)β(7) integrin, a mucosal homing marker. Thus, we identify the enigmatic bone marrow LSK(-)CD25(+) cells as IL-33 responsive, both in vitro and in vivo, with attributes similar to other type 2 innate cells described in peripheral tissues.     

LSK derived LSK- cells have a high apoptotic rate related to survival regulation of hematopoietic and leukemic stem cells

A balanced pool of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in bone marrow is tightly regulated, and this regulation is disturbed in hematopoietic malignancies such as chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). The underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. Here we show that the Lin(-)Sca-1(+)c-Kit(-) (LSK(-)) cell population derived from HSC-containing Lin(-)Sca-1(+)c-Kit(+) (LSK) cells has significantly higher numbers of apoptotic cells. Depletion of LSK cells by radiation or the cytotoxic chemical 5-fluorouracil results in an expansion of the LSK(-) population. In contrast, the LSK(-) population is reduced in CML mice, and depletion of leukemia stem cells (LSCs; BCR-ABL-expressing HSCs) by deleting Alox5 or by inhibiting heat shock protein 90 causes an increase in this LSK(-) population. The transition of LSK to LSK(-) cells is controlled by the Icsbp gene and its downstream gene Lyn, and regulation of this cellular transition is critical for the survival of normal LSK cells and LSCs. These results indicate a potential function of the LSK(-) cells in the regulation of LSK cells and LSCs.     

Bid protects the mouse hematopoietic system following hydroxyurea-induced replicative stress

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) possess long-term self-renewal capacity and multipotent differentiative capacity, to maintain the hematopoietic system. Long-term hematopoietic homeostasis requires effective control of genotoxic damage to maintain HSC function and prevent propagation of deleterious mutations. Here we investigate the role of the BH3-only Bcl-2 family member Bid in the response of murine hematopoietic cells to long-term replicative stress induced by hydroxyurea (HU). The PI3-like serine/threonine kinase, ATR, initiates the DNA damage response (DDR) to replicative stress. The pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family member, Bid, facilitates this response to replicative stress in hematopoietic cells, but the in vivo role of this DDR function of Bid has not been defined. Surprisingly, we demonstrate that long-term HU treatment expands wild-type myeloid progenitor cells (MPCs) and HSC-enriched Lin(-)Sca1(+)Kit(+) (LSK) cells to maintain bone marrow function as measured by long-term competitive repopulating ability. Bid-/- MPCs demonstrate increased sensitivity to HU and are depleted. Bid-/- LSK cells demonstrate increased mobilization manifest by increased Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation. Bid-/- MPCs and LSK cells are relatively depleted, however, and bone marrow from Bid-/- mice demonstrates decreased long-term competitive repopulating ability in both primary and secondary transplants. We thus describe a survival function of Bid in hematopoiesis in the setting of chronic replicative stress.     

Interferon regulatory factor-2 induces megakaryopoiesis in mouse bone marrow hematopoietic cells

Megakaryopoiesis is associated with inflammatory reactions. To investigate the role of interferon regulatory factors (IRFs) in inflammation-associated megakaryopoiesis, mouse bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) were analyzed. IFN-γ treatment induced IRF-2 expression as well as the expression of CD41 and IRF-1 in HSCs. An in vitro clonogenic assay showed that IRF-2- but not IRF-1-overexpressing cells increased the number of megakaryocytic colonies. IRF-2 transfection up-regulated CD41 promoter activity in hematopoietic cell lines. The number of CD41-positive bone marrow cells increased in mice injected with IRF-2-expressing bone marrow cells. These findings suggest that IRF-2 plays an important role in megakaryopoiesis in inflammatory states.     

Genomic and proteomic analysis of the impact of mitotic quiescence on the engraftment of human CD34+ cells

It is well established that in adults, long-term repopulating hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) are mitotically quiescent cells that reside in specialized bone marrow (BM) niches that maintain the dormancy of HSC. Our laboratory demonstrated that the engraftment potential of human HSC (CD34(+) cells) from BM and mobilized peripheral blood (MPB) is restricted to cells in the G0 phase of cell cycle but that in the case of umbilical cord blood (UCB) -derived CD34(+) cells, cell cycle status is not a determining factor in the ability of these cells to engraft and sustain hematopoiesis. We used this distinct in vivo behavior of CD34(+) cells from these tissues to identify genes associated with the engraftment potential of human HSC. CD34(+) cells from BM, MPB, and UCB were fractionated into G0 and G1 phases of cell cycle and subjected in parallel to microarray and proteomic analyses. A total of 484 target genes were identified to be associated with engraftment potential of HSC. System biology modeling indicated that the top four signaling pathways associated with these genes are Integrin signaling, p53 signaling, cytotoxic T lymphocyte-mediated apoptosis, and Myc mediated apoptosis signaling. Our data suggest that a continuum of functions of hematopoietic cells directly associated with cell cycle progression may play a major role in governing the engraftment potential of stem cells. While proteomic analysis identified a total of 646 proteins in analyzed samples, a very limited overlap between genomic and proteomic data was observed. These data provide a new insight into the genetic control of engraftment of human HSC from distinct tissues and suggest that mitotic quiescence may not be the requisite characteristic of engrafting stem cells, but instead may be the physiologic status conducive to the expression of genetic elements favoring engraftment.     

IFN-gamma negatively modulates self-renewal of repopulating human hemopoietic stem cells

Whereas multiple growth-promoting cytokines have been demonstrated to be involved in regulation of the hemopoietic stem cell (HSC) pool, the potential role of negative regulators is less clear. However, IFN-gamma, if overexpressed, can mediate bone marrow suppression and has been directly implicated in a number of bone marrow failure syndromes, including graft-vs-host disease. Whether IFN-gamma might directly affect the function of repopulating HSCs has, however, not been investigated. In the present study, we used in vitro conditions promoting self-renewing divisions of human HSCs to investigate the effect of IFN-gamma on HSC maintenance and function. Although purified cord blood CD34(+)CD38(-) cells underwent cell divisions in the presence of IFN-gamma, cycling HSCs exposed to IFN-gamma in vitro were severely compromised in their ability to reconstitute long-term cultures in vitro and multilineage engraft NOD-SCID mice in vivo (>90% reduced activity in both HSC assays). In vitro studies suggested that IFN-gamma accelerated differentiation of targeted human stem and progenitor cells. These results demonstrate that IFN-gamma can negatively affect human HSC self-renewal.     

Angiotensin II modulates the murine hematopoietic stem cell and progenitors cocultured with stromal S17 cells

Although the existence of the renin–angiotensin system (RAS) in the bone marrow is clear, the exact role of this system in hematopoiesis has not yet been fully characterized. Here the direct role of angiotensin II (AngII) in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), common myeloid progenitors (CMPs), granulocyte/monocyte progenitors (GMPs), and megakaryocytes/erythroid progenitors (MEPs), using a system of coculture with stromal S17 cells. Flow cytometry analysis showed that AngII increases the percentage of HSC and GMP, while reducing CMP with no effect on MEP. According to these data, AngII increased the total number of mature Gr-1⁺/Mac-1⁺ cells without changes in Terr119⁺ cells. AngII does not induce cell death in the population of LSK cells. In these populations, treatment with AngII decreases the expression of Ki67⁺ protein with no changes in the Notch1 expression, suggesting a role for AngII on the quiescence of immature cells. In addition, exposure to AngII from murine bone marrow cells increased the number of CFU-GM and BFU-E in a clonogenic assay. In conclusion, our data showed that AngII is involved in the regulation of hematopoiesis with a special role in HSC, suggesting that AngII should be evaluated in coculture systems, especially in cases that require the expansion of these cells in vitro, still a significant challenge for therapeutic applications in humans.     

Detection and characterization of hemopoietic stem cells in the adult human small intestine

The concept of lymphoid differentiation in the human gastrointestinal tract is controversial but is the focus of this study, which examined adult human small intestinal tissue for the presence of CD34(+)CD45(+) hemopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and lymphoid progenitors. Flow cytometry demonstrated that over 5% of leukocytes (CD45(+) cells) isolated from human gut were HSCs coexpressing CD34, a significantly higher incidence than in matched peripheral blood or control bone marrow. HSCs were detected in cell preparations from both the epithelium and lamina propria of all samples tested and localized to the intestinal villous and crypt regions using immunofluorescence. A high proportion of gut HSCs expressed the activation marker CD45RA, and few expressed c-kit, indicating ongoing differentiation. The vast majority of intestinal HSCs coexpressed the T cell Ag, CD7 (92% in the epithelium, 80% in the lamina propria) whereas <10% coexpressed the myeloid Ag CD33, suggesting that gut HSCs are a relatively mature population committed to the lymphoid lineage. Interestingly, almost 50% of epithelial layer HSCs coexpressed CD56, the NK cell Ag, compared with only 10% of the lamina propria HSC population, suggesting that the epithelium may be a preferential site of NKR(+) lymphoid differentiation. In contrast, bone marrow HSCs displayed low coexpression of CD56 and CD7 but high coexpression of CD33. The phenotype of intestinal HSCs, which differs significantly from circulating or bone marrow HSCs, is consistent with a role in local lymphoid development.     

Phenotypic Analysis and Isolation of Murine Hematopoietic Stem Cells and Lineage-committed Progenitors

The bone marrow is the principal site where HSCs and more mature blood cells lineage progenitors reside and differentiate in an adult organism. HSCs constitute a minute cell population of pluripotent cells capable of generating all blood cell lineages for a life-time¹. The molecular dissection of HSCs homeostasis in the bone marrow has important implications in hematopoiesis, oncology and regenerative medicine. We describe the labeling protocol with fluorescent antibodies and the electronic gating procedure in flow cytometry to score hematopoietic progenitor subsets and HSCs distribution in individual mice (Fig. 1). In addition, we describe a method to extensively enrich hematopoietic progenitors as well as long-term (LT) and short term (ST) reconstituting HSCs from pooled bone marrow cell suspensions by magnetic enrichment of cells expressing c-Kit. The resulting cell preparation can be used to sort selected subsets for in vitro and in vivo functional studies (Fig. 2).Both trabecular osteoblasts^2,3 and sinusoidal endothelium⁴ constitute functional niches supporting HSCs in the bone marrow. Several mechanisms in the osteoblastic niche, including a subset of N-cadherin⁺ osteoblasts³ and interaction of the receptor tyrosine kinase Tie2 expressed in HSCs with its ligand angiopoietin-1⁵ concur in determining HSCs quiescence. "Hibernation" in the bone marrow is crucial to protect HSCs from replication and eventual exhaustion upon excessive cycling activity⁶. Exogenous stimuli acting on cells of the innate immune system such as Toll-like receptor ligands⁷ and interferon-α⁶ can also induce proliferation and differentiation of HSCs into lineage committed progenitors. Recently, a population of dormant mouse HSCs within the lin^- c-Kit⁺ Sca-1⁺ CD150⁺ CD48^- CD34^- population has been described⁸. Sorting of cells based on CD34 expression from the hematopoietic progenitors-enriched cell suspension as described here allows the isolation of both quiescent self-renewing LT-HSCs and ST-HSCs⁹. A similar procedure based on depletion of lineage positive cells and sorting of LT-HSC with CD48 and Flk2 antibodies has been previously described¹⁰. In the present report we provide a protocol for the phenotypic characterization and ex vivo cell cycle analysis of hematopoietic progenitors, which can be useful for monitoring hematopoiesis in different physiological and pathological conditions. Moreover, we describe a FACS sorting procedure for HSCs, which can be used to define factors and mechanisms regulating their self-renewal, expansion and differentiation in cell biology and signal transduction assays as well as for transplantation.     

CD81 is essential for the re-entry of hematopoietic stem cells to quiescence following stress-induced proliferation via deactivation of the Akt pathway

The regulatory mechanisms governing the cell cycle progression of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are well characterized, but those responsible for the return of proliferating HSCs to a quiescent state remain largely unknown. Here, we present evidence that CD81, a tetraspanin molecule acutely responsive to proliferative stress, is essential for the maintenance of long-term repopulating HSCs. Cd81(-/-) HSCs showed a marked engraftment defect when transplanted into secondary recipient mice and a significantly delayed return to quiescence when stimulated to proliferate with 5-fluorouracil (5FU). In addition, we found that CD81 proteins form a polarized patch when HSCs are returning to quiescence. Thus, we propose that the spatial distribution of CD81 during the HSC recovery phase drives proliferative HSC to quiescence, and is important to preserve the self-renewal properties. Here, we show that lack of CD81 leads to loss of HSC self-renewal, and the clustering of CD81 on HSC membrane results in deactivation of Akt, which subsequently leads to nuclear translocation of FoxO1a. Thus, CD81 functions as part of a previously undefined mechanism that prohibits excessive proliferation of HSCs exposed to environmental stress.     

Prostaglandin E2 enhances human cord blood stem cell xenotransplants and shows long-term safety in preclinical nonhuman primate transplant models

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are used in transplantation therapy to reconstitute the hematopoietic system. Human cord blood (hCB) transplantation has emerged as an attractive alternative treatment option when traditional HSC sources are unavailable; however, the absolute number of hCB HSCs transplanted is significantly lower than bone marrow or mobilized peripheral blood stem cells (MPBSCs). We previously demonstrated that dimethyl-prostaglandin E2 (dmPGE2) increased HSCs in vertebrate models. Here, we describe preclinical analyses of the therapeutic potential of dmPGE2 treatment by using human and nonhuman primate HSCs. dmPGE2 significantly increased total human hematopoietic colony formation in?vitro and enhanced engraftment of unfractionated and CD34(+) hCB after xenotransplantation. In nonhuman primate autologous transplantation, dmPGE2-treated CD34(+) MPBSCs showed stable multilineage engraftment over 1 year postinfusion. Together, our analyses indicated that dmPGE2 mediates conserved responses in HSCs from human and nonhuman primates and provided sufficient preclinical information to support proceeding to an FDA-approved phase 1 clinical trial.     

Wnt signaling in the niche

There is much interest in understanding the signals in the bone marrow niche that keep hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in a quiescent state. In the current issue of Cell Stem Cell, Fleming et al. (2008) report that blocking Wnt signaling in the niche increases the number of proliferating HSCs and reduces their ability to reconstitute the hematopoietic system of irradiated recipient mice. These findings show that Wnt/beta-catenin activity is crucial for the maintenance of HSC quiescence in the bone marrow niche.     

N-cadherin expression level distinguishes reserved versus primed states of hematopoietic stem cells

Osteoblasts expressing the homophilic adhesion molecule N-cadherin form a hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) niche. Therefore, we examined how N-cadherin expression in HSCs relates to their function. We found that bone marrow (BM) cells highly expressing N-cadherin (N-cadherin(hi)) are not stem cells, being largely devoid of a Lineage(-)Sca1(+)cKit(+) population and unable to reconstitute hematopoietic lineages in irradiated recipient mice. Instead, long-term HSCs form distinct populations expressing N-cadherin at intermediate (N-cadherin(int)) or low (N-cadherin(lo)) levels. The minority N-cadherin(lo) population can robustly reconstitute the hematopoietic system, express genes that may prime them to mobilize, and predominate among HSCs mobilized from BM to spleen. The larger N-cadherin(int) population performs poorly in reconstitution assays when freshly isolated but improves in response to overnight in vitro culture. Their expression profile and lower cell-cycle entry rate suggest N-cadherin(int) cells are being held in reserve. Thus, differential N-cadherin expression reflects functional distinctions between two HSC subpopulations.