Bone Marrow Reservoir Research Articles

A ubiquitous bone marrow reservoir of preexisting SARS-CoV-2-reactive memory CD4+ T lymphocytes in unexposed individuals.

Circulating, blood-borne SARS-CoV-2-reactive memory T cells in persons so far unexposed to SARS-CoV-2 or the vaccines have been described in 20-100% of the adult population. They are credited with determining the efficacy of the immune response in COVID-19. Here, we demonstrate the presence of preexisting memory CD4+ T cells reacting to peptides of the spike, membrane, or nucleocapsid proteins of SARS-CoV-2 in the bone marrow of all 17 persons investigated that had previously not been exposed to SARS-CoV-2 or one of the vaccines targeting it, with only 15 of these persons also having such cells detectable circulating in the blood. The preexisting SARS-CoV-2-reactive memory CD4+ T cells of the bone marrow are abundant and polyfunctional, with the phenotype of central memory T cells. They are tissue-resident, at least in those persons who do not have such cells in the blood, and about 30% of them express CD69. Bone marrow resident SARS-CoV-2-reactive memory CD4+ memory T cells are also abundant in vaccinated persons analyzed 10-168 days after 1°-4° vaccination. Apart from securing the bone marrow, preexisting cross-reactive memory CD4+ T cells may play an important role in shaping the systemic immune response to SARS-CoV-2 and the vaccines, and contribute essentially to the rapid establishment of long-lasting immunity provided by memory plasma cells, already upon primary infection.

ACE Inhibition Modulates Myeloid Hematopoiesis after Acute Myocardial Infarction and Reduces Cardiac and Vascular Inflammation in Ischemic Heart Failure.

Aims: Angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors) are a cornerstone of drug therapy after myocardial infarction (MI) and improve left ventricular function and survival. We aimed to elucidate the impact of early treatment with the ACE inhibitor ramipril on the hematopoietic response after MI, as well as on the chronic systemic and vascular inflammation. Methods and Results: In a mouse model of MI, induced by permanent ligation of the left anterior descending artery, immediate initiation of treatment with ramipril (10 mg/k/d via drinking water) reduced cardiac inflammation and the number of circulating inflammatory monocytes, whereas left ventricular function was not altered significantly, respectively. This effect was accompanied by enhanced retention of hematopoietic stem cells, Lin−Sca1−c-Kit+CD34+CD16/32+ granulocyte–macrophage progenitors (GMP) and Lin−Sca1−c-Kit+CD150−CD48− multipotent progenitors (MPP) in the bone marrow, with an upregulation of the niche factors Angiopoetin 1 and Kitl at 7 d post MI. Long-term ACE inhibition for 28 d limited vascular inflammation, particularly the infiltration of Ly6Chigh monocytes/macrophages, and reduced superoxide formation, resulting in improved endothelial function in mice with ischemic heart failure. Conclusion: ACE inhibition modulates the myeloid inflammatory response after MI due to the retention of myeloid precursor cells in their bone marrow reservoir. This results in a reduction in cardiac and vascular inflammation with improvement in survival after MI.

Myocardial infarction accelerates breast cancer via innate immune reprogramming.

Disruption of systemic homeostasis by either chronic or acute stressors, such as obesity1 or surgery2, alters cancer pathogenesis. Patients with cancer, particularly those with breast cancer, can be at increased risk of cardiovascular disease due to treatment toxicity and changes in lifestyle behaviors3-5. While elevated risk and incidence of cardiovascular events in breast cancer is well established, whether such events impact cancer pathogenesis is not known. Here we show that myocardial infarction (MI) accelerates breast cancer outgrowth and cancer-specific mortality in mice and humans. In mouse models of breast cancer, MI epigenetically reprogrammed Ly6Chi monocytes in the bone marrow reservoir to an immunosuppressive phenotype that was maintained at the transcriptional level in monocytes in both the circulation and tumor. In parallel, MI increased circulating Ly6Chi monocyte levels and recruitment to tumors and depletion of these cells abrogated MI-induced tumor growth. Furthermore, patients with early-stage breast cancer who experienced cardiovascular events after cancer diagnosis had increased risk of recurrence and cancer-specific death. These preclinical and clinical results demonstrate that MI induces alterations in systemic homeostasis, triggering cross-disease communication that accelerates breast cancer.

844 The alpha-7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Mediates a Uniquely Human Response to Burn Injury

Abstract Introduction CHRFAM7A is a uniquely human gene that is a dominant negative inhibitor of the alpha-7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (a7nAchR). The relative balance of CHRFAM7A and a7nAchR expression may play an important role in mediating the human immune response to injury. We have previously shown that CHRFAM7A expression increased the hematopoietic stem cell reservoir in bone marrow and altered emergency myelopoiesis after injury. Here, we hypothesized that loss of the a7nAchR would produce a phenotype similar to CHRFAM7A overexpression, with an increased bone marrow reservoir of stem cells that would modulate myeloid cell mobilization after burn injury. Methods a7nAchR knockout (KO) mice (CHRNA7-/-) underwent 30% TBSA steam burn and were compared to age- and sex-matched wild-type mice. Bone marrow and blood were harvested 24 hours following burn injury for flow cytometry analysis. To measure bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) we used flow cytometry to measure Lin−Sca1+c-Kit+ (LSK) cell expression. Bone marrow short term (ST) and long term (LT) HSCs were identified with CD48 and CD150. Immune cells were identified with myeloid markers including CD45, CD11b, Gr1, Ly6C, and Ly6G. Results a7nAchR KO mice have an increased bone marrow reservoir of LSK HSCs compared to WT. While bone marrow expression of ST-HSC and LT-HSC decreased after severe burn injury in WT mice, a7nAchR KO prevented the burn-induced depletion of ST-HSC and LT-HSC leaving a bone marrow HSC reservoir similar to sham. a7nAchR KO attenuated burn-induced mobilization of CD11b+ monocytes and CD11b+Ly6CHi inflammatory monocytes into the systemic circulation compared to WT. Conclusions Loss of the a7nAchR increases myeloid cell mobilization into the circulation after severe burn injury. There is significant variability in CHRFAM7A expression between individuals, suggesting that the relative balance of CHRFAM7A and a7nAchR expression may alter the host inflammatory response and influence human resilience after injury. Applicability of Research to Practice Understanding the factors that mediate the human response to burn injury could give important insights into variability in the inflammatory response between individuals and lead to therapeutics targeting the uniquely human response to burn injury.

Nocturnal Melatonin Renews Bone and Blood Forming Stem Cells Reservoir By Metabolic Reprograming

Bone marrow (BM) residing hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC) replenish the blood with mature cells with a finite life span on a daily basis while maintaining the reservoir of undifferentiated stem cells. We recently showed that light/darkness onset induce two different BM HSPC peaks. Morning-induced norepinephrine and TNF secretion metabolically facilitate HSPC differentiation and egress to replenish the circulation with new mature leukocytes. Night augmented BM melatonin renews BM CD150+ hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) reservoir and their long-term repopulation potential (Golan et al, Cell Stem Cell, In Press). How melatonin primes BM HSPC to change their phenotype and function to re-acquire an undifferentiated and primitive state, is poorly understood. The hormone melatonin is an important mediator of bone formation and mineralization, and ultimately regulates the balance of bone remodeling (Cardinali DP et al, J. Pineal Res., 2003). The cross talk between HSPC and their BM stromal microenvironment is tightly regulated and determines HSPC fate. Therefore, we examined whether melatonin plays a role in regulation of murine BM mesenchymal stem and progenitor cells (MSPC, CD45-/Sca-1+/PDGFRα+), known to support HSPC maintenance in their BM niches. Mice treated with melatonin for 5h during the morning had increased levels of BM MSPC endowed with higher colony-forming unit fibroblast (CFU-F) potential in vitro. Interestingly, the metabolic state of these progenitor cells was altered by melatonin demonstrating reduced glucose uptake ability and lower mitochondria content. To test if differences in stromal cells content exist between day and night, we examined BM MSPC and found increased levels at 11PM, the time of melatonin BM peak, with higher Sca-1high surface expression levels, as compared to daylight 11AM. These changes were associated with augmented CFU-F levels by MSPC harvested at 11PM and accompanied by reduced glucose uptake levels and mitochondria content. Our preliminary results suggest that melatonin at night increases BM MSPC levels and reduces their metabolic activity to maintain them in a primitive and undifferentiated state. Moreover, we found that melatonin-elevated HSPC at 11PM also share lower glucose uptake ability with reduced mitochondria content and lower mitochondrial membrane potential (evaluated by TMRE). We hypothesize that melatonin reprograms the metabolic state of both HSPC and their stromal MSPC microenvironment to renew and maintain a primitive state of both populations at night. One of the factors inhibited by melatonin is the bioactive lipid Sphingosine 1-Phosphate (S1P), which in turn inhibits melatonin production. We found that mice with low S1P levels (S1Plow) due to lack of the SPHK1 enzyme have high BM melatonin levels also during the day in contrast to wild type (WT) mice. S1Plow mice had higher levels of primitive stromal progenitor cells including CFU-F and lower levels of differentiating osteoblast precursors compared to WT mice. In addition, these mice had less BM Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)high committed hematopoietic progenitor cells, but more primitive ROSlow EPCR+ HSC endowed with higher long-term repopulation capacity in both primary and serially transplanted recipients. Next, we examined how light/dark cues affect the homing of transplanted BM HSPC into the BM of irradiated hosts 18h after transplantation. We found that donor HSPC harvested at 11PM have elevated homing ability compared to 11AM harvested cells. Importantly, MSPC also better homed to the BM of irradiated recipients when we transplanted donor BM cells obtained at 11PM compared with 11AM. As a result, accelerated BM repopulation kinetics was documented one week post transplantation in mice transplanted with BM cells harvested at 11 PM.Taken together, our results reveal that in vivo melatonin renews and maintains the BM reservoir and function of primitive MSPC and HSPC by metabolically reprogramming these cells during the night on a daily basis. Since the primed HSPC and MSPC at night showed improved function and BM homing potential, these features might be mimicked by human BM cells in order to harness them for improved clinical transplantation protocols. DisclosuresNo relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Leptin receptor q223r polymorphism influences neutrophil mobilization after Clostridium difficile infection.

Clostridium difficile is the leading cause of nosocomial infections in the U.S. Clinical disease outcomes after C. difficile infection (CDI) are dependent on intensity of host inflammatory responses. Specifically, peak peripheral white blood cell (WBC) count >20×109/L is an indicator of adverse outcomes in CDI patients, and is associated with higher 30-day mortality. We show that homozygosity for a common single nucleotide polymorphism (Q to R mutation in leptin receptor that is present in up to 50% of people), significantly increases the risk of having peak peripheral WBC count >20×109/L (odds ratio=4.7; p = 0.0024) in CDI patients. In a murine model of CDI, we demonstrate that mice homozygous for the same SNP (RR mice) have more blood and tissue leukocytes (specifically neutrophils), exaggerated tissue inflammation and higher mortality as compared to control mice, despite similar pathogen burden. Further, we show that neutrophilia in RR mice is mediated by gut microbiota-directed expression of CXC chemokine receptor 2 (CXCR2) which promotes the release of neutrophils from bone marrow reservoir. Overall these studies provide novel mechanistic insights into the role of human genetic polymorphisms and gut microbiota in regulating the fundamental biological process of CDI-induced neutrophilia.

GSK3β regulates physiological migration of stem/progenitor cells via cytoskeletal rearrangement

Regulation of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) steady-state egress from the bone marrow (BM) to the circulation is poorly understood. While glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β) is known to participate in HSPC proliferation, we revealed an unexpected role in the preferential regulation of CXCL12-induced migration and steady-state egress of murine HSPCs, including long-term repopulating HSCs, over mature leukocytes. HSPC egress, regulated by circadian rhythms of CXCL12 and CXCR4 levels, correlated with dynamic expression of GSK3β in the BM. Nevertheless, GSK3β signaling was CXCL12/CXCR4 independent, suggesting that synchronization of both pathways is required for HSPC motility. Chemotaxis of HSPCs expressing higher levels of GSK3β compared with mature cells was selectively enhanced by stem cell factor-induced activation of GSK3β. Moreover, HSPC motility was regulated by norepinephrine and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), which increased or reduced, respectively, GSK3β expression in BM HSPCs and their subsequent egress. Mechanistically, GSK3β signaling promoted preferential HSPC migration by regulating actin rearrangement and microtubuli turnover, including CXCL12-induced actin polarization and polymerization. Our study identifies a previously unknown role for GSK3β in physiological HSPC motility, dictating an active, rather than a passive, nature for homeostatic egress from the BM reservoir to the blood circulation.

Conditional Inactivation of the CXCR4 Receptor in Osteoprecursors Reduces Postnatal Bone Formation Due to Impaired Osteoblast Development

Cysteine (C)-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4), the primary receptor for stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1), is involved in bone morphogenic protein 2 (BMP2)-induced osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal progenitors. To target the in vivo function of CXCR4 in bone and explore the underlying mechanisms, we conditionally inactivated CXCR4 in osteoprecursors by crossing osterix (Osx)-Cre mice with floxed CXCR4 (CXCR4(fl/fl)) mice to generate knock-outs with CXCR4 deletion driven by the Osx promoter (Osx::CXCR4(fl/fl)). The Cre-mediated excision of CXCR4 occurred exclusively in bone of Osx::CXCR4(fl/fl) mice. When compared with littermate controls, Osx::CXCR4(fl/fl) mice developed smaller osteopenic skeletons as evidenced by reduced trabecular and cortical bone mass, lower bone mineral density, and a slower mineral apposition rate. In addition, Osx::CXCR4(fl/fl) mice displayed chondrocyte disorganization in the epiphyseal growth plate associated with decreased proliferation and collagen matrix syntheses. Moreover, mature osteoblast-related expression of type I collagen α1 and osteocalcin was reduced in bone of Osx::CXCR4(fl/fl) mice versus controls, suggesting that CXCR4 deficiency results in arrested osteoblast progression. Primary cultures for osteoblastic cells derived from Osx::CXCR4(fl/fl) mice also showed decreased proliferation and impaired osteoblast differentiation in response to BMP2 or BMP6 stimulation, and suppressed activation of intracellular BMP receptor-regulated Smads (R-Smads) and Erk1/2 was identified in CXCR4-deficient cells and bone tissues. These findings provide the first in vivo evidence that CXCR4 functions in postnatal bone development by regulating osteoblast development in cooperation with BMP signaling. Thus, CXCR4 acts as an endogenous signaling component necessary for bone formation.

The Brain-Bone-Blood Triad: Traffic Lights for Stem-Cell Homing and Mobilization

Navigation of transplanted stem cells to their target organs is essential for clinical bone marrow reconstitution. Recent studies have established that hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) dynamically change their features and location, shifting from quiescent and stationary cells anchored in the bone marrow to cycling and motile cells entering the circulation. These changes are driven by stress signals. Bidirectional migrations to and from the bone marrow are active processes that form the basis for HSC transplantation protocols. However, how and why HSCs enter and exit the bone marrow as part of host defense and repair is not fully understood. The development of functional, preclinical, immune-deficient NOD/SCID (non-obese diabetic-severe combined immunodeficiency) mice transplantation models has enabled the characterization of normal and leukemic human HSCs and investigation of their biology. Intensive research has revealed multiple tasks for the chemokine SDF-1 (stromal cell-derived factor-1, also known as CXCL12) in HSC interactions with the microenvironment, as well as the existence of overlapping mechanisms controlling stress-induced mobilization and enhanced HSC homing, sequential events of major physiological relevance. These processes entail dynamically interacting, multi-system aspects that link the bone marrow vasculature and stromal cells with the nervous and immune systems. Neural cues act as an external pacemaker to synchronize HSC migration and development to balance bone remodeling via circadian rhythms in order to address blood and immune cell production for the physiological needs of the body. Stress situations and clinical HSC mobilization accelerate leukocyte proliferation and bone turnover. This review presents the concept that HSC regulation by the brain-bone-blood triad via stress signals controls the bone marrow reservoir of immature and maturing leukocytes.

GSK3β Signaling Regulates the Motility of Hematopoietic Progenitors Via Prune.

AbstractAbstract 1553One of the hallmarks of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC) is their motility. In steady state, HSPC are mostly retained in the bone marrow (BM), allowing ongoing hematopoiesis, concomitantly with slow release to the circulation as part of homeostasis and host defense mechanisms. While stress-induced recruitment and clinical mobilization processes are extensively studied, steady state egress mechanisms are poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrate that inhibition of Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3b (GSK3β) directly or via upstream Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1) signaling limited murine HSPC egress to the circulation. Indeed, inhibition of GSK3β resulted in reduced HSPC migration capacity towards a gradient of the chemokine stromal derived factor-1 (SDF-1, also termed CXCL12) in vitro and was found to reduce HSPC mobilization by IGF-1 receptor antagonist treatment. Interestingly, GSK3β signaling also regulated SDF-1 transcription by BM stromal cells in vitro and in vivo, probably as part of HSPC maintenance, since murine CXCR4 signaling is essential for hematopoietic stem cell quiescence. We revealed that the involvement of GSK3β in directional HSPC motility is mediated by the downstream phosphodiesterase Prune. Prune, which is over-expressed in several human cancers, was recently found to localize in focal adhesion sites, promoting the motility of malignant cells. Herein, we show that Prune is also expressed in normal leukocytes, including HSPC. Accordingly, inhibition of Prune resulted in reduced SDF-1 induced migration of murine HSPC in vitro as well as reduced steady state egress in vivo. Prune activity was also shown to regulate the actin cytoskeleton by contributing to its polymerization. In general, highly regulated actin turnover is essential for spontaneous and directional motility mechanisms. Altogether, we present GSK3β and Prune as novel players in physiological HSPC motility, dictating an active rather than passive nature for steady state egress from the BM reservoir to the blood circulation as part of homeostasis. Disclosures:No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Endothelial progenitor cells and their potential clinical implication in cardiovascular disorders

Risk factors associated with cardiovascular diseases reduce the availability of endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) by affecting their mobilization and integration into injured vascular sites. The existence of a bone marrow reservoir of EPC has attracted interest, especially as target for therapeutic intervention in different pathological settings. Among the cardiovascular risk factors, hypertension has been shown to be a strongest predictor of EPC migratory impairment. However, at present, data concerning EPC biology are still limited. In this article we provide an overview of data relevant to their potential clinical implications in cardiovascular disorders. In addition, the recent advances in understanding the role of EPC in the pathophysiology of hypertension are discussed.

APRIL is critical for plasmablast survival in the bone marrow and poorly expressed by early-life bone marrow stromal cells

The persistence of serum IgG antibodies elicited in human infants is much shorter than when such responses are elicited later in life. The reasons for this rapid waning of antigen-specific antibodies elicited in infancy are yet unknown. We have recently shown that adoptively transferred tetanus toxoid (TT)-specific plasmablasts (PBs) efficiently reach the bone marrow (BM) of infant mice. However, TT-specific PBs fail to persist in the early-life BM, suggesting that they fail to receive the molecular signals that support their survival/differentiation. Using a proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL)- and B-cell activating factor (BAFF) B-lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS)-deficient mice, we demonstrate here that APRIL is a critical factor for the establishment of the adult BM reservoir of anti-TT IgG-secreting cells. Through in vitro analyses of PB/plasma cell (PC) survival/differentiation, we show that APRIL induces the expression of Bcl-X(L) by a preferential binding to heparan sulfate proteoglycans at the surface of CD138(+) cells. Last, we identify BM-resident macrophages as the main cells that provide survival signals to PBs and show that this function is slowly acquired in early life, in parallel to a progressive acquisition of APRIL expression. Altogether, this identifies APRIL as a critical signal for PB survival that is poorly expressed in the early-life BM compartment.

The Multiple Roles of Osteoclasts in Host Defense: Bone Remodeling and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Mobilization

Bone remodeling by bone-forming osteoblasts and bone-resorbing osteoclasts dynamically alters the bone inner wall and the endosteum region, which harbors osteoblastic niches for hematopoietic stem cells. Investigators have recently elucidated mechanisms of recruitment and mobilization; these mechanisms consist of stress signals that drive migration of leukocytes and progenitor cells from the bone marrow reservoir to the circulation and drive their homing to injured tissues as part of host defense and repair. The physical bone marrow vasculature barrier that is crossed by mobilized cells actively transmits chemotactic signals between the blood and the bone marrow, facilitating organ communication and cell trafficking. Osteoclasts play a dual role in regulation of bone resorption and homeostatic release or stress-induced mobilization of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. In this review, we discuss the orchestrated interplay between bone remodeling, the immune system, and the endosteal stem cell niches in the context of stem cell proliferation and migration during homeostasis, which are accelerated during alarm situations.

OSTEOIMMUNOLOGY: Interplay Between the Immune System and Bone Metabolism

Studies of bone and the immune system have converged in recent years under the banner of osteoimmunology. The immune system is spawned in the bone marrow reservoir, and investigators now recognize that important niches also exist there for memory lymphocytes. At the same time, various factors produced during immune responses are capable of profoundly affecting regulation of bone. Mechanisms have evolved to prevent excessive interference by the immune system with bone homeostasis, yet pathologic bone loss is a common sequela associated with autoimmunity and cancer. There are also developmental links, or parallels, between bone and the immune system. Cells that regulate bone turnover share a common precursor with inflammatory immune cells and may restrict themselves anatomically, in part by utilizing a signaling network analogous to lymphocyte costimulation. Efforts are currently under way to further characterize how these two organ systems overlap and to develop therapeutic strategies that benefit from this understanding.

How do stem cells find their way home?

AbstractMigration of hematopoietic stem cells through the blood, across the endothelial vasculature to different organs and to their bone marrow (BM) niches, requires active navigation, a process termed homing. Homing is a rapid process and is the first and essential step in clinical stem cell transplantation. Similarly, homing is required for seeding of the fetal BM by hematopoietic progenitors during development. Homing has physiological roles in adult BM homeostasis, which are amplified during stress-induced recruitment of leukocytes from the BM reservoir and during stem cell mobilization, as part of host defense and repair. Homing is thought to be a coordinated, multistep process, which involves signaling by stromal-derived factor 1 (SDF-1) and stem cell factor (SCF), activation of lymphocyte function–associated antigen 1 (LFA-1), very late antigen 4/5 (VLA-4/5) and CD44, cytoskeleton rearrangement, membrane type 1 (MT1)–matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activation and secretion of MMP2/9. Rolling and firm adhesion of progenitors to endothelial cells in small marrow sinusoids under blood flow is followed by trans-endothelial migration across the physical endothelium/extracellular matrix (ECM) barrier. Stem cells finalize their homing uniquely, by selective access and anchorage to their specialized niches in the extravascular space of the endosteum region and in periarterial sites. This review is focused on mechanisms and key regulators of human stem cell homing to the BM in experimental animal models and clinical transplantation protocols.

PECAM-1, Apoptosis and CD34+ Precursors

Apoptosis is a physiological process that controls tissue homeostasis, in combination with survival signals delivered by distinct receptors that bind hormones, growth factors or extracellular matrix components. The extrinsic pathway of apoptosis is due to the triggering of death receptors and the activation of the caspase cascade; the intrinsic pathway is due to withdrawal of growth factors and mainly related to mitochondrial metabolism. The choice between survival or apoptosis, which is the result of such different integrated environmental signals, is crucial for the maintainance of bone marrow reservoir of hematopoietic precursors (HPC). CD34 + HPC can receive multiple survival signals during homing and maturation, due to different interactions with adhesion molecules expressed on endothelial and bone marrow stromal cells, proteins of the extracellular matrix and chemokines or growth factors. Among them, the signal delivered via platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1) seems to contribute to the resistance of this cell population to starvation, and it is related to the maintainance of mitochondrial metabolism. Indeed, this molecule, originally described as an adhesion receptor belonging to the immunoglobulin superfamily, capable of homophilic and heterophilic interactions, turned out to be a signalling molecule, containing an immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motifs (ITIM) within its cytoplasmic domain. In particular, it has been shown that PECAM-1 binds to different kinases and phosphatases, including the phosphatidylinositide-3-kinase that phosphorylates Akt, which, in turn can upregulate transcription and function of antiapoptotic proteins, such as Bcl-2 and Bcl-x or A1, responsible for the rescue from mitochondrial apoptosis. The possible role of PECAM-1 engagement in the prevention of starvation-induced apoptosis of HPC precursors and in the maintainance of their survival is discussed.

Macrophages are the major reservoir of latent murine gammaherpesvirus 68 in peritoneal cells.

B cells have previously been identified as the major hematopoietic cell type harboring latent gammaherpesvirus 68 (gammaHV68) (N. P. Sunil-Chandra, S. Efstathiou, and A. A. Nash, J. Gen. Virol. 73:3275-3279, 1992). However, we have shown that gammaHV68 efficiently establishes latency in B-cell-deficient mice (K. E. Weck, M. L. Barkon, L. I. Yoo, S. H. Speck, and H. W. Virgin, J. Virol. 70:6775-6780, 1996), demonstrating that B cells are not required for gammaHV68 latency. To understand this dichotomy, we determined whether hematopoietic cell types, in addition to B cells, carry latent gammaHV68. We observed a high frequency of cells that reactivate latent gammaHV68 in peritoneal exudate cells (PECs) derived from both B-cell-deficient and normal C57BL/6 mice. PECs were composed primarily of macrophages in B-cell-deficient mice and of macrophages plus B cells in normal C57BL/6 mice. To determine which cells in PECs from C57BL/6 mice carry latent gammaHV68, we developed a limiting-dilution PCR assay to quantitate the frequency of cells carrying the gammaHV68 genome in fluorescence-activated cell sorter-purified cell populations. We also quantitated the contribution of individual cell populations to the total frequency of cells carrying latent gammaHV68. At early times after infection, the frequency of PECs that reactivated gammaHV68 correlated very closely with the frequency of PECs carrying the gammaHV68 genome, validating measurement of the frequency of viral-genome-positive cells as a measure of latency in this cell population. F4/80-positive macrophage-enriched, lymphocyte-depleted PECs harbored most of the gammaHV68 genome and efficiently reactivated gammaHV68, while CD19-positive, B-cell-enriched PECs harbored about a 10-fold lower frequency of gammaHV68 genome-positive cells. CD4-positive, T-cell-enriched PECs contained only a very low frequency of gammaHV68 genome-positive cells, consistent with previous analyses indicating that T cells are not a reservoir for gammaHV68 latency (N. P. Sunil-Chandra, S. Efstathiou, and A. A. Nash, J. Gen. Virol. 73:3275-3279, 1992). Since macrophages are bone marrow derived, we determined whether elicitation of a large inflammatory response in the peritoneum would recruit additional latent cells into the peritoneum. Thioglycolate inoculation increased the total number of PECs by about 20-fold but did not affect the frequency of cells that reactivate gammaHV68, consistent with a bone marrow reservoir for latent gammaHV68. These experiments demonstrate gammaHV68 latency in two different hematopoietic cell types, F4/80-positive macrophages and CD19-positive B cells, and argue for a bone marrow reservoir for latent gammaHV68.