Recovery Of Blood Neutrophils Research Articles

Hematopoietic properties of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor/immunoglobulin (G-CSF/IgG-Fc) fusion proteins in normal and neutropenic rodents.

Previously we showed that granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) in vitro bioactivity is preserved when the protein is joined via a flexible 7 amino acid linker to an immunoglobulin-1 (IgG1)-Fc domain and that the G-CSF/IgG1-Fc fusion protein possessed a longer circulating half-life and improved hematopoietic properties compared to G-CSF in normal rats. We have extended this analysis by comparing the relative hematopoietic potencies of G-CSF/IgG1-Fc to G-CSF in normal mice and to G-CSF and polyethylene glycol (PEG) - modified G-CSF in neutropenic rats. Mice were treated for 5 days using different doses and dosing regimens of G-CSF/IgG1-Fc or G-CSF and circulating neutrophil levels in the animals measured on Day 6. G-CSF/IgG1-Fc stimulated greater increases in blood neutrophils than comparable doses of G-CSF when administered using daily, every other day or every third day dosing regimens. In rats made neutropenic with cyclophosphamide, G-CSF/IgG1-Fc accelerated recovery of blood neutrophils to normal levels (from Day 9 to Day 5) when administered as 5 daily injections or as a single injection on Day 1. By contrast, G-CSF accelerated neutrophil recovery when administered as 5 daily injections, but not when administered as a single injection. G-CSF/IgG1-Fc was as effective as PEG-G-CSF at accelerating neutrophil recovery following a single injection in neutropenic rats. G-CSF/IgG1-Fc and G-CSF/IgG4-Fc fusion proteins in which the 7 amino acid linker was deleted also were effective at accelerating neutrophil recovery following a single injection in neutropenic rats. These studies confirm the enhanced in vivo hematopoietic properties of G-CSF/IgG-Fc fusion proteins.

Vascular niche E-selectin regulates hematopoietic stem cell dormancy, self renewal and chemoresistance

The microenvironment, or niche, surrounding a stem cell largely governs its cellular fate. Two anatomical niches for hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) have been reported in the bone marrow, but a distinct function for each of these niches remains unclear. Here we report a new role for the adhesion molecule E-selectin expressed exclusively by bone marrow endothelial cells in the vascular HSC niche. HSC quiescence was enhanced and self-renewal potential was increased in E-selectin knockout (Sele(-/-)) mice or after administration of an E-selectin antagonist, demonstrating that E-selectin promotes HSC proliferation and is a crucial component of the vascular niche. These effects are not mediated by canonical E-selectin ligands. Deletion or blockade of E-selectin enhances HSC survival threefold to sixfold after treatment of mice with chemotherapeutic agents or irradiation and accelerates blood neutrophil recovery. As bone marrow suppression is a severe side effect of high-dose chemotherapy, transient blockade of E-selectin is potentially a promising treatment for the protection of HSCs during chemotherapy or irradiation.

Ott1(Rbm15)-Deficient Hematopoietic Stem Cells Are Unable to Maintain Quiescence During Replicative Stress and Display Features of Premature Aging,

Abstract 3433With age, hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) have numerical expansion, skewing towards myeloid development, loss of lymphoid potential, an underlying pro-inflammatory state and loss of self-renewal potential thus severely limiting responses to hematopoietic stress, ultimately leading to bone marrow failure. The mechanisms and pathways responsible for these changes in aged HSCs are incompletely understood. Using a conditional allele of Ott1, a gene originally isolated as the 5’ fusion partner in t(1;22) acute megakaryocytic leukemia, we previously found a global regulatory role for the gene in hematopoiesis. Deletion of Ott1 in adult mice utilizing Mx1-cre recapitulated certain aspects of aging hematopoiesis including increased Lin−Sca1+c-Kit+ (LSK) population, myeloid expansion and decreased lymphopoiesis. The LSK compartment was further characterized using SLAM and CD34/Flk2 markers and demonstrated normal levels of LT-HSCs and increased ST-HSCs. Despite sufficient LT-HSC numbers, Ott1-deleted bone marrow was unable to competitively or non-competitively repopulate irradiated recipients. To exclude a homing or engraftment effect, Ott1flox/null Mx1-cre bone marrow was transplanted with competitor then excised post-engraftment. The rapid loss of the Ott1-deficient graft demonstrated Ott1 is required for maintenance under competitive stress. In contrast, primary mice undergoing Ott1 excision lived a normal lifespan and were able to maintain sufficient hematopoiesis although with a partial reduction in bone marrow clonagenicity showing loss of Ott1 is not limiting under steady state conditions. To test the HSC requirement for Ott1 under replicative stress, Ott1 knockout mice were challenged with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). Ott1-deleted mice treated with 5-FU displayed delayed peripheral blood neutrophil recovery and showed accelerated bone marrow failure. Cell cycle analysis of steady state Ott1 knockout HSCs showed a similar profile to wild type controls, however, after 5-FU treatment, the G0 fraction was dramatically reduced. The G0 fraction is associated with the quiescent, self-renewing HSC population, therefore, Ott1 is required for maintaining HSC quiescence during replicative stress but not steady state hematopoiesis.To more specifically assess whether the functional hematopoietic changes seen after loss of Ott1 were accompanied by alterations in known aging-associated pathways, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis comparing Ott1-deleted HSCs in steady state to aged HSCs was performed and showed a highly enriched gene expression signature (NES 2.02 p<0.0001). Physiologic sequelae of HSC aging were observed after Ott1 excision including activation of NFκβ, elevation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), increase in DNA damage (γH2A.X levels) and activation of p38Mapk. Although ROS was elevated under steady state conditions, neither apoptosis, senescence or proliferation was significantly different from wild type control HSCs. Furthermore, anti-oxidant treatment with N-acetyl-cysteine was unable to rescue the HSC maintenance defect of the Ott1 knockout, signifying additional requirements in HSCs for Ott1 beyond regulation of ROS. An observed increase of mitochondrial mass in Ott1-deleted HSCs suggests an upstream function for Ott1 in metabolic control, potentially contributing to ROS generation or degradation. In summary, we have demonstrated an essential role for Ott1 in maintaining HSC quiescence during replicative stress and shown loss of Ott1 leads to the acquisition of key gene expression patterns and pathophysiologic changes associated with aging. These data suggest Ott1 functions in part to oppose specific consequences of aging in the hematopoietic compartment. Ott1 and Ott1-dependent pathways therefore represent a potential therapeutic target to prevent the morbidity and mortality arising from age-related defects in hematopoiesis. Disclosures:No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Absence or Blockage of E-Selectin-Mediated Cell Adhesion Delays Hematopoietic Stem Cell (HSC) Turn-Over and Enhances Chemoresistance.

Abstract 564The behaviour of a hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) is regulated by its immediate micro-environment or niche. We have identified a novel function for the adhesion molecule E-selectin which is constitutively expressed on bone marrow (BM) vasculature. Using mice knocked-out for E- (E-/-) or P-selectin (P-/-) genes, we investigated whether selectin absence alters HSC behaviour in vivo. We found HSC cycling in the absence of E-selectin to be significantly delayed 2.5-fold in BrdU incorporation assays compared to either P-/- or WT (mice were administered BrdU for 3d then BrdU incorporation in BM Lineage-KIT+Sca1+(LKS+)CD34- or LKS+CD48-CD150+cells measured). To confirm these findings, LKS+ cells were stained with rhodamine123, a vital dye retained by metabolically active cells but not quiescent HSC. More LKS+ cells from E-/- mice were rhodamine dull (34±2%) than WT (23±1%; p=0.037) confirming that a greater proportion of HSC from E-/- mice are quiescent. We then determined whether administration of E-selectin antagonists alone could similarly delay HSC turnover. Mice were administered the glycomimetic E-selectin antagonist GMI-1070, for set periods of time before harvest. We found HSC turnover to be significantly delayed following GMI-1070 administration (1.4 fold less BrdU incorporation, p=0.011) with a concomitant 1.4-fold increase in the number of Rho123 dull LSK+ quiescent HSC per femur (p=0.020). Non-cycling, quiescent HSC are known to be more resistant to chemotherapy and irradiation. Indeed 7 days following 5-FU administration, we found that E-/- mice had faster BM HSC recovery / less HSC damage compared to WT mice, both by phenotype analysis and in a competitive long-term reconstituting assay. Following 5-FU administration the number of reconstituting units/femur in WT mice decreased 5.1-fold but only decreased 2.3-fold in similarly treated E-/- mice. Interestingly, when mice were pre-treated with GMI-1070 before 5-FU, there was significantly enhanced blood neutrophil recovery compared to mice administered 5-FU alone (blood neutrophils were 710±205 ×103/mL with GMI-1070, compared to 234±141 ×103/mL without, at day 9 post-5-FU, p=0.0001). Similarly when mice were severely irradiated and test bleeds performed weekly, a more rapid haematopoietic recovery was observed in E-/- compared to WT mice. In summary, we have identified a novel function for the adhesion molecule E-selectin. HSC turnover is dramatically reduced in E-/- mice an effect that can be replicated by transient administration of E-selectin antagonist mimetics. Furthermore blood leukocyte and HSC numbers recover faster following cytotoxic or irradiation injury in the absence or blockage of E-selectin-mediated cell adhesion. Thus E-selectin may well be a crucial component of the proliferative HSC niche regulating HSC turnover. Blockage of E-selectin adhesive interaction by GMI-1070, a novel E-selectin antagonist that has completed phase I clinical trails, may represent a promising treatment for the protection of HSC during chemotherapy. Disclosures:Winkler:Glycomimetics Inc: Research Funding. Smith:GlycoMimetics, Inc: Employment. Patton:GlycoMimetics, Inc: Employment. Magnani:GlycoMimetics, Inc.: Employment. Levesque:Glycomimetics Inc.: Research Funding.

Activation of gp130 signaling in vivo by the IL-6 super-agonist K-7/D-6 accelerates repopulation of lymphoid organs after irradiation.

Stimulation of the gp130 signaling pathway by IL-6 is known to contribute significantly to hematopoietic expansion in vitro, mostly in combination with other cytokines. In the present study we have investigated whether a similar effect can be observed also in vivo using short-term assays in which irradiated mice were analyzed for repopulation of lymphoid organs. Mice were injected with a combination of soluble IL-6Ralpha either with wild-type (wt) human IL-6 or with an IL-6 variant, called K-7/D-6, that shows a 70-fold higher IL-6Ralpha affinity. We observed that while wt IL-6 was able to induce a partial effect only in combination with IL-3, K-7/D-6 bypassed the need for IL-3 and yielded complete recovery. In lethally irradiated mice reconstituted with syngeneic bone marrow cells K-7/D-6 strongly accelerated the repopulation of thymus and spleen and hastened blood neutrophil recovery. These results underscore the potential of the gp130 signaling pathway in hematopoietic reconstitution after myeloablative regimens and open the possibility to fully exploit it with a super-active IL-6 variant.

Studies of oral neutrophil levels in patients receiving G-CSF after autologous marrow transplantation.

Patients are at risk of mucositis and infections in the oral cavity during the neutropenic period after chemotherapy, which are significant causes of morbidity. In phase I/II studies with the haemopoietic growth factor granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), a reduction in post-chemotherapy mucositis has been observed in addition to haematologic effects. To understand this phenomenon better in patients receiving G-CSF following high-dose chemotherapy with autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT), we studied the effects of G-CSF on levels of neutrophils recoverable from the oral cavity using a quantitative mouthrinse assay. In normal subjects, mouthrinses contained 472 +/- 329 x 10(3) neutrophils/mouthrinse. After chemotherapy followed by ABMT, mouthrinse neutrophil levels decreased to undetectable levels during the neutropenic period, but recovered 1-2 and 3-9 d before circulating neutrophil levels reached 0.1 and 1 x 10(9)/l respectively, whether or not patients received G-CSF. In patients who received G-CSF, the mean cumulative mucositis score was reduced from 35 +/- 9 to 21 +/- 12 (P < 0.05), and the maximum mean daily mucositis score was reduced from 2.8 +/- 0.5 to 1.7 +/- 0.9 (P < 0.01), compared to patients who did not receive G-CSF after ABMT. These studies provide in vivo evidence that neutrophils produced during G-CSF therapy are available to leave the circulation and enter tissues where their function is required for host defence. Since the usual temporal relationship between oral and peripheral blood neutrophil recovery was preserved during G-CSF administration after ABMT, these data support the hypothesis that the reduction in post-ABMT mucositis observed with G-CSF therapy may reflect a beneficial effect of G-CSF on the kinetics of oral mucosal neutrophil recovery in addition to the effect of G-CSF to accelerate peripheral blood neutrophil recovery.

Effect of Human Macrophage Colony‐stimulating Factor on Granulopoiesis and Survival in Bone‐marrow‐transplanted Mice

Human macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (hM‐CSF) has been isolated from normal human urine and purified to a homogenous protein. The effect of hM‐CSF on granulopoiesis was investigated in BALB/c mice transplanted with a suboptimal number of bone marrow cells. Lethally irradiated (7.8 Gy) mice were transplanted with 1 × 106 syngeneic mouse bone marrow cells and treated with a daily intraperitoneal dose of 64 μg/kg of hM‐CSF for 5 days following the transplant. The hM‐CSF injection resulted in stimulation of the recovery of blood neutrophils as well as an increase in the number of granulocyte‐macrophage progenitor cells (CFU‐GM) in the femur and spleen. The survival of lethally irradiated mice was dependent on the cell number transplanted; most mice transplanted with 2 × 104 cells died within 2 weeks. The recovery of hematopoiesis in mice transplanted with 2 × 104 cells was modestly but significantly stimulated by hM‐CSF administration initiated from 5 days before or 1 day after transplantation for a 5‐day period. Furthermore, the hM‐CSF administrations markedly reduced the mortality in these mice during the early period after the transplantation. Since anaerobic bacteria were frequently detected in arterial blood immediately before the deaths but were not found in the surviving mice, it is speculated that early deaths occurring within 2 weeks after the transplant may be caused by opportunistic infections, and hM‐CSF injection may prevent these mortal infections through its stimulating effect on monocyte‐macrophage functions that are responsible for the production of hematopoietic regulators.

Recovery of blood neutrophils after acute peripheral depletion.

Blood neutrophil recovery in the dog appears to be qualitatively similar whether leucopenia is achieved by injection of leucocyte antiserum to remove the cells in vivo or by exchange transfusion with leucocyte-depleted blood. Return to the control level after antiserum injection occurs within 3–5 hours with neutropenias in excess of about 50% and is followed by neutrophilia of variable degree with restoration of the normal count usually by 24 hours. There is reason to think that recovery is accomplished in large part by an accelerated release of cells from marrow. This conclusion, which is based mainly upon the appearance of numerous band cells in the periphery, is supported by the results obtained in x-irradiated animals and is consistent with related observations by others and with theoretical considerations of neutrophil balance. The extent of release of nonsegmented cells is related more to the relative (percentage) change than to the absolute decrease in neutrophils. These observations can be interpreted to mean that the number of mature cells available for release from the marrow reservoir is a function of the normal steady state level in blood. Possible mechanisms of compensation for the decline in cells in the periphery are discussed and exploratory studies are reported. It is suggested that the control system may include a suppressor feedback between mature neutrophils and blood-forming sites.