Hematopoiesis Revolves Around the Primordial Evolutional Rhythm of Purinergic Signaling and Innate Immunity – A Journey to the Developmental Roots

Abstract

A cell's most significant existential task is to survive by ensuring proper metabolism, avoiding harmful stimuli, and adapting to changing environments. It explains why early evolutionary primordial signals and pathways remained active and regulate cell and tissue integrity. This requires energy supply and a balanced redox state. To meet these requirements, the universal intracellular energy transporter purine nucleotide-adenosine triphosphate (ATP) became an important signaling molecule and precursor of purinergic signaling after being released into extracellular space. Similarly, ancient proteins involved in intracellular metabolism gave rise to the third protein component (C3) of the complement cascade (ComC), a soluble arm of innate immunity. These pathways induce cytosol reactive oxygen (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) that regulate the redox state of the cells. While low levels of ROS and RNS promote cell growth and differentiation, supra-physiological concentrations can lead to cell damage by pyroptosis. This balance explains the impact of purinergic signaling and innate immunity on cell metabolism, organogenesis, and tissue development. Subsequently, along with evolution, new regulatory cues emerge in the form of growth factors, cytokines, chemokines, and bioactive lipids. However, their expression is still modulated by both primordial signaling pathways. This review will focus on the data that purinergic signaling and innate immunity carry on their ancient developmental task in hematopoiesis and specification of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs). Moreover, recent evidence shows both these regulatory pathways operate in a paracrine manner and inside HSPCs at the autocrine level.Graphical