Human Hematopoietic Stem Cell Niche Research Articles

Radiation-induced bystander effects impair transplanted human hematopoietic stem cells via oxidative DNA damage

AbstractTotal body irradiation (TBI) is commonly used in host conditioning regimens for human hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation to treat various hematological disorders. Exposure to TBI not only induces acute myelosuppression and immunosuppression, but also injures the various components of the HSC niche in recipients. Our previous study demonstrated that radiation-induced bystander effects (RIBE) of irradiated recipients decreased the long-term repopulating ability of transplanted mouse HSCs. However, RIBE on transplanted human HSCs have not been studied. Here, we report that RIBE impaired the long-term hematopoietic reconstitution of human HSCs as well as the colony-forming ability of human hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs). Our further analyses revealed that the RIBE-affected human hematopoietic cells showed enhanced DNA damage responses, cell-cycle arrest, and p53-dependent apoptosis, mainly because of oxidative stress. Moreover, multiple antioxidants could mitigate these bystander effects, though at different efficacies in vitro and in vivo. Taken together, these findings suggest that RIBE impair human HSCs and HPCs by oxidative DNA damage. This study provides definitive evidence for RIBE on transplanted human HSCs and further justifies the necessity of conducting clinical trials to evaluate different antioxidants to improve the efficacy of HSC transplantation for the patients with hematological or nonhematological disorders.

Long-Term Human Hematopoietic Stem Cell Culture in Microdroplets.

We previously reported a new approach for micromanipulation and encapsulation of human stem cells using a droplet-based microfluidic device. This approach demonstrated the possibility of encapsulating and culturing difficult-to-preserve primary human hematopoietic stem cells using an engineered double-layered bead composed by an inner layer of alginate and an outer layer of Puramatrix. We also demonstrated the maintenance and expansion of Multiple Myeloma cells in this construction. Here, the presented microfluidic technique is applied to construct a 3D biomimetic model to recapitulate the human hematopoietic stem cell niche using double-layered hydrogel beads cultured in 10% FBS culture medium. In this model, the long-term maintenance of the number of cells and expansion of hHSCS encapsulated in the proposed structures was observed. Additionally, a phenotypic characterization of the human hematopoietic stem cells generated in the presented biomimetic model was performed in order to assess their long-term stemness maintenance. Results indicate that the ex vivo cultured human CD34+ cells from bone marrow were viable, maintained, and expanded over a time span of eight weeks. This novel long-term stem cell culture methodology could represent a novel breakthrough to improve Hematopoietic Progenitor cell Transplant (HPT) as well as a novel tool for further study of the biochemical and biophysical factors influencing stem cell behavior. This technology opens a myriad of new applications as a universal stem cell niche model potentially able to expand other types of cells.

Mathematical Modeling Provides Evidence for Niche Competition in Human AML and Serves as a Tool to Improve Risk Stratification

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a stem cell-driven malignant disease. There is evidence that leukemic stem cells (LSC) interact with stem cell niches and outcompete hematopoietic stem cells (HSC). The impact of this interaction on the clinical course of the disease remains poorly understood. We developed and validated a mathematical model of stem cell competition in the human HSC niche. Model simulations predicted how processes in the stem cell niche affect the speed of disease progression. Combining the mathematical model with data of individual patients, we quantified the selective pressure LSCs exert on HSCs and demonstrated the model's prognostic significance. A novel model-based risk-stratification approach allowed extraction of prognostic information from counts of healthy and malignant cells at the time of diagnosis. This model's feasibility was demonstrable based on a cohort of patients with ALDH-rare AML and shows that the model-based risk stratification is an independent predictor of disease-free and overall survival. This proof-of-concept study shows how model-based interpretation of patient data can improve prognostic scoring and contribute to personalized medicine. SIGNIFICANCE: Combining a novel mathematical model of the human hematopoietic stem cell niche with individual patient data enables quantification of properties of leukemic stem cells and improves risk stratification in acute myeloid leukemia.

Toxicity-Free Hematopoietic Stem Cell Engraftment Achieved with Anti-CD117 Monoclonal Antibody Conditioning

Successful hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) requires vacating recipient hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) niches to permit donor HSC engraftment to provide life-long hematopoietic and immune function. Currently HCT relies on DNA damaging radiation or chemotherapy to achieve HSC niche clearance. We have pursued a non-toxic approach to target and deplete HSC using humanized monoclonal antibody, AMG 191, that binds human CD117 (c-Kit). We opened a Phase 1 dose escalation trial using AMG 191 as the sole conditioning agent to achieve donor HSC engraftment in patients undergoing HCT for severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). The primary endpoint is to assess the safety of administering AMG 191. Secondary endpoints include AMG 191 pharmacokinetics (PK), host HSC depletion, and determination of the dose of AMG 191 that achieves adequate donor HSC engraftment, defined as >5% donor granulocyte chimerism at 24 weeks. We have completed the first dose cohort of patients receiving 0.1 mg/kg AMG 191 and treated the first two patients in the second cohort (0.3 mg/kg). All five patients tolerated the AMG 191 infusion and the subsequent infusion of their CD34-selectd donor cells without clinical problems. Here we report efficacy in the first two patients, who have reached the 24-week timepoint. Both patients had T-B-NK+ SCID with mutations in the DCLRE1C (Artemis) gene. Both previously received unconditioned HCT as infants, failed to develop donor B cells and remained dependent on exogenous immunoglobulin. CD34-selected mobilized peripheral blood cells from the original donors were infused when the AMG 191 serum level was Conclusion: These data are proof of concept that a humanized monoclonal antibody targeting CD117 can safely clear human HSC niches and facilitate donor HSC engraftment. This study is ongoing and open for enrollment.

Microcavity arrays as an in vitro model system of the bone marrow niche for hematopoietic stem cells.

In previous studies human mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) maintained the "stemness" of human hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) through direct cell-cell contact in two-dimensional co-culture systems. We establish a three-dimensional (3D) co-culture system based on a custom-made chip, the 3(D)-KITChip, as an in vitro model system of the human hematopoietic stem cell niche. This array of up to 625 microcavities, with 300μm size in each orientation, was inserted into a microfluidic bioreactor. The microcavities of the 3(D)-KITChip were inoculated with human bone marrow MSCs together with umbilical cord blood HPCs. MSCs used the microcavities as a scaffold to build a complex 3D mesh. HPCs were distributed three-dimensionally inside this MSC network and formed ß-catenin- and N-cadherin-based intercellular junctions to the surrounding MSCs. Using RT(2)-PCR and western blots, we demonstrate that a proportion of HPCs maintained the expression of CD34 throughout a culture period of 14days. In colony-forming unit assays, the hematopoietic stem cell plasticity remained similar after 14days of bioreactor co-culture, whereas monolayer co-cultures showed increasing signs of HPC differentiation and loss of stemness. These data support the notion that the 3D microenvironment created within the microcavity array preserves vital stem cell functions of HPCs more efficiently than conventional co-culture systems.

Human CD34loCD133lo fetal liver cells support the expansion of human CD34hiCD133hi hematopoietic stem cells

We have recently discovered a unique CD34(lo)CD133(lo) cell population in the human fetal liver (FL) that gives rise to cells in the hepatic lineage. In this study, we further characterized the biological functions of FL CD34(lo)CD133(lo) cells. Our findings show that these CD34(lo)CD133(lo) cells express markers of both endodermal and mesodermal lineages and have the capability to differentiate into hepatocyte and mesenchymal lineage cells by ex vivo differentiation assays. Furthermore, we show that CD34(lo)CD133(lo) cells express growth factors that are important for human hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) expansion: stem cell factor (SCF), insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2), C-X-C motif chemokine 12 (CXCL12), and factors in the angiopoietin-like protein family. Co-culture of autologous FL HSCs and allogenic HSCs derived from cord blood with CD34(lo)CD133(lo) cells supports and expands both types of HSCs.These findings are not only essential for extending our understanding of the HSC niche during the development of embryonic and fetal hematopoiesis but will also potentially benefit adult stem cell transplantations in clinics because expanded HSCs demonstrate the same capacity as primary cells to reconstitute the human immune system and mediate long-term hematopoiesis in vivo. Together, CD34(lo)CD133(lo) cells not only serve as stem/progenitor cells for liver development but are also an essential component of the HSC niche in the human FL.

Bone Marrow Cell Aggregates: A Way of Collecting the Adult Human Hematopoietic Stem Cell Niche

Hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) function is critical in maintaining hematopoiesis continuously throughout the lifespan of an organism and any change in their ability to self-renew and/or to differentiate into blood cell lineages induces severe diseases. Postnatally, HSC are mainly located in bone marrow where their stem cell fate is regulated through a complex network of local influences, thought to be concentrated in the bone marrow (BM) niche. Despite more than 30 years of research, the precise location of the HSC niche in human BM remains unclear because most observations were obtained from mice models. BM harvesting collects macroscopic coherent tissue aggregates in a cell suspension variably diluted with blood. The qualitative interest of these tissue aggregates, termed hematons, was already reported (first by I. Blaszek’s group (Blaszek et al., 1988, 1990) and by our group (Boiret et al., 2003)) yet they remain largely unknown. Should hematons really be seen as elementary BM units, they must accommodate hematopoietic niches and must be a complete ex vivo surrogate of BM tissue. In this study, we analyzed hematons as single tissue structures.Biological samples were collected from i) healthy donor bone marrow (n= 8); ii) either biological samples collected for routine analysis by selecting bone marrow with normal analysis results (n=5); or iii) from spongy bone collected from the femoral head during hip arthroplasty (n=4). After isolation of hematons, we worked at single level, we used immunohistochemistry techniques, scanning electronic microscopy, confocal microscopy, flow cytometry and cell culture.Each hematon constitutes a miniature BM structure organized in lobular form around the vascular tree. Hematons are organized structures, supported by a network of cells with numerous cytoplasmic expansions associated with an amorphous structure corresponding to the extracellular matrix. Most of the adipocytes are located on the periphery, and hematopoietic cells can be observed as retained within the mesenchymal network. Although there is a degree of inter-donor variability in the cellular contents of hematons (on average 73 +/- 10 x103 cells per hematon), we observed precursors of all cell lines in each structure. We detected a higher frequency of CD34+ cells than in filtered bone marrow, representing on average 3% and 1% respectively (p<0.01). Also, each hematon contains CFU-GM, BFU-E, CFU-Mk and CFU-F cells. Mesenchymal cells are located mainly on the periphery and seem to participate in supporting the structure. The majority of mesenchymal cells isolated from hematons (21/24) sustain in vitro hematopoiesis. Interestingly, more than 90% of the hematons studied contained LTC-ICs. Furthermore, when studied using confocal microscopy, a co-localization of CD34+ cells with STRO1+ mesenchymal cells was frequently observed (75% under 10 µm of the nearest STRO-1+ cell, association statistically highly significant; p <1.10-16).These results indicate the presence of one or several stem cell niches housing highly primitive progenitor cells. We are confirming these in vitro data with an in vivo xenotransplantation model. These structures represent the elementary functional units of adult hematopoietic tissue and are a particularly attractive model for studying homeostasis of the BM niche and the pathological changes occurring during disease. DisclosuresNo relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Mouse Versus Human Extrinsic Cues Dictate Transformation Potential In BCR-ABL/BMI1-Induced Leukemia In Humanized Xenograft Models

The NSG [NOD/Lt-scid/IL2Rγnull] xenotransplantation mouse model is currently the model of choice to evaluate human hematopoietic engraftment and to study development of human leukemia. Indeed, we have previously shown that co-expression of BCR-ABL together with the polycomb repression complex 1 (PRC1) member BMI1 in human cord blood (CB) derived CD34+ cells was sufficient to induce a serially transplantable lymphoid leukemia (Rizo et al., Blood 2010). This leukemia was characterized by high levels of CD34+/CD19+/CD20-/IgM-/CD33-/CD15- lymphoid blasts in the bone marrow and a high degree of infiltration of blasts in spleen and liver. Clonal analysis revealed that similar clones gave rise to leukemia in primary and secondary recipients. Although in vivo no myeloid leukemias were observed, in vitro both lymphoid as well as myeloid immortalized long-term cultures could readily be established, in line with phenotypes observed in chronic myeloid leukemia patients whereby a chronic myeloid phase can egress into a myeloid or lymphoid blast crisis. It is very plausible that differences between murine and human hematopoietic stem cell niches underlie these observed differences. Human engraftment in NSG mice is typically lymphoid biased, and since many growth factors and cytokines are species-specific it is clear that the murine niche is not ideal to evaluate human hematopoietic engraftment and leukemic transformation potential.In our current study we have evaluated the in vivo leukemic transformation potential of human CB derived CD34+ cells expressing BCR-ABL and/or BMI1 in NSG mice in which scaffolds coated with culture-expanded human mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) were implanted subcutaneously 8 weeks prior to injection of transduced cells, to allow the development of a humanized niche containing mineralized bone-matrix, osteoblasts, stromal cells, as well as appropriate vascularization (Groen et al., Blood 2012). BCR-ABL/BMI1 transduced human CB derived CD34+ cells or primary blast crisis CML patient cells were injected either intravenously or directly into the humanized scaffolds, and leukemia development was evaluated.Our data indicate that in a humanized niche, in contrast to a murine niche, BCR-ABL was sufficient to induce leukemia as a single hit without overexpression of exogenous BMI1. Furthermore, both ALL as well as erythro/myeloid leukemias could be induced. The ALL could be transplanted to secondary recipients and besides the lymphoid marker CD19, the cells also expressed CD33 and CD15, but not CD11b or GPA. These data are in sharp contrast to results obtained in xenograft mouse models without human niches, where BCR-ABL expression alone in human cells was not sufficient to induce leukemia, and secondary hits such as BMI1 were essential.Efficient engraftment of a blast-crisis CML patient sample was also observed in the human niche model, whereby the immature blast-like phenotype was maintained in the human scaffold niche, while more differentiated cells were observed in the mouse bone marrow niche. In vitro, long-term self-renewing cultures could readily be established with cells retrieved from the human scaffold niche of these leukemic mice, while no long-term cultures could be initiated with cells retrieved from the murine bone marrow niche, from the same mouse. These data indicate that a human niche is required to maintain appropriate in vivo self-renewal of human BC CML cells. Interestingly, the endogenous BMI1 levels were significantly higher in cells retrieved from the human scaffold niche as compared to the mouse BM niche.In conclusion, our data indicate that BCR-ABL transformed cells needs secondary event such as over expression of oncogene like BMI1 for its full transformation potential, most likely to overcome or repress oncogene-induced senescence. The mouse environment is not able to provide these secondary events in human cells, whereas the human niche is able to provide signals that together with BCR-ABL are sufficient to fully transform human cells in xenograft models. Disclosures:No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Non-Invasive Multimodal/Multi-Scale Imaging of Bone Marrow Microenvironment Reveals Structural and Functional Heterogeneity in Different Bone Marrow Compartments: Functional Implications On Mouse and Human Hematopoietic Stem Cell Niches in Health and Disease

AbstractAbstract 25 Introduction:Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) reside in specialized bone marrow (BM) microenvironments called stem cell niches (HSCNs). Two types of HSCNs have been reported, involving osteoblasts (osteoblastic niche) and blood sinusoids (vascular niche). Various hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic cell types are contributing to the regulation of HSCs and HSCNs, however, the bone marrow microenvironment has not yet been precisely characterized and the fine localization, composition and regulation of the niches remain highly controversial.Intravital microscopy of the calvarium (IVMC) is the only non-invasive option for high resolution imaging of bone marrow HSCNs. However it is unclear if IVMC provides data representative of all BM compartments. Indeed it has been shown that endochondral ossification, the process used for long bones growth, is required for the formation of HSCNs. By contrast, the calvarium is a flat bone which develops through intra-membranous ossifications, therefore questioning the presence of HSCNs in this bone (Chan CK et al, Nature 2009). Methods:Combined confocal and multiphoton excitation intravital microscopy was used for multiparametric observation of live bone marrow in intact bones after in-vivo contrasting procedures. Bioluminescence imaging was used to quantify the systemic trafficking and proliferation of murine HSCs and human leukemia. Flow cytometry and histology were used to sort specific populations of cells, analyze the frequency of mouse and human stem cells or leukemic cells at steady state or after transplantation, quantify perfusion efficiency and hypoxia and cross-validate in-vivo imaging procedures. Results:Thanks to advanced imaging modalities we realized a thorough study of potential niche markers and HSCs distribution at homeostasis and during hematopoietic reconstitution in calavia, epiphyses and diaphyses. We report important heterogeneity between these compartments in terms of bone remodelling activity (BRA) and blood vessel fraction (BVF). Although BVF was surprisingly high in any compartment, including in very close proximity to any endosteal surface, we found that compartments displaying the highest BVF and BRA were preferentially seeded and engrafted following mouse and human HSC transplantation. Unexpectedly, the macro-anatomical distribution of mouse and human HSCs at steady state is homogeneous across the skeleton and independent of these 2 markers. These data suggest the existence of “reconstituting niches” which would be distinct from “homeostatic niches”. Importantly, this study provides the first evidence that both types of niches are fully functional in the calvarium, including for mouse and human HSCs, indicating that endochondral ossification is dispensable for adult HSCNs.The model is currently being exploited to analyze leukemia/microenvironment interactions in live bone marrow. Conclusions:This study confirms and extends our recent statement considering the critical need for multimodal imaging (Lassailly F et al, Blood 2010). Further more, it demonstrates that combination of different imaging modalities for in-vivo and ex-vivo analysis is a powerful strategy allowing to shed a new light on the structure of the bone marrow microenvironment and improve our understanding of stem cells/niches interactions in health and disease. Disclosures:No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Retinoid-Regulated FGF8f Secretion by Osteoblasts Bypasses Retinoid Stimuli to Mediate Granulocytic Differentiation of Myeloid Leukemia Cells

Signaling from the human hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) niche formed by osteoblastic cells regulates hematopoiesis. We previously found that retinoic acid receptor alpha (RARα), a transcription factor activated by retinoic acid (RA), mediates both granulocytic and osteoblastic differentiation. This effect depends on decreased phosphorylation of serine 77 of RARα (RARαS77) by the cyclin-dependent kinase-activating kinase (CAK) complex, a key cell-cycle regulator. In this article, we report that, by suppressing CAK phosphorylation of RARα, RA induces FGF8f to mediate osteosarcoma U2OS cell differentiation in an autocrine manner. By contrast, paracrine FGF8f secreted into osteoblast-conditioned medium by U2OS cells transduced with FGF8f or a phosphorylation-defective RARαS77 mutant, RARαS77A, bypasses RA stimuli to cross-mediate granulocytic differentiation of different types of human leukemic myeloblasts and normal primitive hematopoietic CD34(+) cells, possibly through modulating mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways. Further experiments using recombinant human FGF8f (rFGF8f) stimuli, antibody neutralization, and peptide blocking showed that paracrine FGF8f is required for mediating terminal leukemic myeloblast differentiation. These studies indicate a novel regulatory mechanism of granulocytic differentiation instigated by RA from the HSC niche, which links loss of CAK phosphorylation of RARα with paracrine FGF8f-mediated MAPK signaling to mediate leukemic myeloblast differentiation in the absence of RA. Therefore, these findings provide a compelling molecular rationale for further investigation of paracrine FGF8f regulation, with the intent of devising HSC niche-based FGF8f therapeutics for myeloid leukemia, with or without RA-resistance.

Targeted Clearance of Human Hematopoietic Stem Cell Niches Via Inhibition of SCF Signaling Using Monoclonal Antibody SR-1

Targeted Clearance of Human Hematopoietic Stem Cell Niches Via Inhibition of SCF Signaling Using Monoclonal Antibody SR-1

Targeted Clearance of Human Hematopoietic Stem Cell Niches Via Inhibition of SCF Signaling Using Monoclonal Antibody SR-1

AbstractAbstract 74Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are used therapeutically in bone marrow/hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (BMT/HSCT) to correct hematolymphoid abnormalities. Upon intravenous transplantation, HSCs can home to specialized bone marrow niches, self-renew and differentiate and thus generate a new, complete hematolymphoid system. Unfortunately BMT has had limited applications, due to the risks associated with the toxic conditioning regimens, such as irradiation and chemotherapy, that are deemed necessary for HSC engraftment. Elimination of these toxic conditioning regimens could expand the potential applications of BMT to include many non-malignant hematologic disorders, a wide variety of autoimmune disorders such as diabetes and multiple sclerosis, as well as in the facilitation of organ transplantation. We have previously shown that one important barrier to HSC engraftment is availability of HSC niche space. In the absence of pre-transplant conditioning, >99% of HSC niches are occupied with host HSCs and thus donor HSC engraftment under these conditions is minimal. We have shown in mouse models, that elimination of host mouse HSCs using anti-mouse-ckit monoclonal antibody ACK2 allows for >90% donor HSC engraftment with minimal toxicity in immunodeficient animals, which is sufficient to cure most hematolymphoid disorders.To examine the effects of inhibition of ckit-signaling in human HSCs, we obtained and created various monoclonal antibodies to human ckit and verified that anti-human-ckit monoclonal antibody SR-1 uniquely inhibits SCF binding. To examine the dependence of human HSC on ckit-signaling we cultured purified human bone marrow HSC and umbilical cord blood HSC (CD34+CD38-CD90+CD45RA-Lin-) in the presence of StemSpan media supplemented with human cytokines SCF, TPO, Flt-3, IL-3, IL-6 and either 10ug/ml of SR-1 or 4F7 (an anti-human-ckit clone that did not inhibit SCF-binding). Here we show that SR-1 uniquely inhibited both human bone marrow and cord blood HSC proliferation in vitro. Interestingly, SR-1 did not induce human HSC cell death via apoptosis, as addition of Z-VAD-FMK caspase inhibitor did not abrogate the effects of SR-1. Additionally, the lack of PI+ and Annexin V+ populations day 3 and 7 days post addition of SR-1 failed to provide evidence of HSC death. However, careful examination revealed a shift in the differentiation profile of HSC cultured in the presence of SR-1. Whereas 4F7 did not change the in vitro output of human HSC, cord blood HSC cultured in the presence of SR-1 showed increased propensity to give rise to Glycophorin A+ and CD41+ cells (RBC and platelets respectively), and decreased output of CD14, CD13, and CD33 cells (macrophages/myeloid cells).To examine the depleting capability of SR-1 in vivo, robust human-mouse hematopoietic chimeras were generated. Newborn immune deficient NOD/SCID/IL-2Rγnull (NOG) mice received 100cGy radiation and subsequently were transplanted intravenously via facial vein with ∼1000 purified human cord blood HSC. Mice with >15% human CD45+ chimerism in the peripheral blood at 12 wks post-transplant were selected for further experimentation. Bone marrow aspirates were obtained from these animals and assayed for human chimerism by FACS. Average pre-treatment baseline level of total human bone marrow engraftment (%hCD45) was 58.6%, whereas myeloid chimerism (%hCD13/33) was 25.4%. The mice were then treated intravenously with 500ug of SR-1 every other day for 1 week. Human total and myeloid engraftment 8 weeks post treatment decreased by 92.4% and 96.9% respectively, most likely due to depletion of human HSCs that maintain these populations. The remaining persistent human cells in these animals were primarily composed of mature, long-lived B and T-cells that do not need to be regenerated by HSC and are therefore unaffected by this therapy.In summary, we have shown that human HSCs depend on SCF for proliferation, and inhibition of SCF-signaling via anti-ckit monoclonal antibody SR-1 resulted in non-toxic, specific, in vitro and in vivo HSC depletion. Through this method we hope to deplete host HSCs in humans, thereby increasing available human HSC niches for engraftment and providing effective yet mild conditioning prior to transplantation. This work could enable efficient transplantation of HSC that cannot cause GvH, resulting in a potential curative therapy for almost any hematologic or immunologic disease. Disclosures:Weissman:Amgen, Systemix, Stem cells Inc, Cellerant: Consultancy, Employment, Equity Ownership, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

Prospective Isolation and Functional Characterization of Human Bone Marrow-Derived Hematopoietic Stem Cell-Supportive Mesenchymal Stromal Cells.

AbstractAbstract 3852 (Background)The identification of human CD34-negative (CD34−) SCID-repopulating cells (SRCs) provide a new concept for the hierarchy in the human HSC compartment (Blood 101:2924, 2003). Recently, we succeeded to highly purify these CD34-SRCs using 18 lineage specific antibodies (Blood 114:336, 2009). It has been suggested that human hematopoietic stem cell (HSC)-supportive microenvironment exist in the bone marrow (BM), which play a pivotal role in the maintenance of self-renewal capacity and dormancy of primitive HSCs. It was reported that osteoblasts and vascular endothelial cells played an important role to organize HSC niches. However, whether mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) contribute to organize HSC niches or not is not clearly understood, because MSCs are heterogeneous population. Therefore, it is important to clarify their origin and functional characteristics. (Objectives)The aim of this study was to prospectively isolate/identify human BM-derived MSCs and investigate their functional characteristics including HSC-supportive abilities. (Results)First, human BM-derived Lin−CD45− cells were subdivided into 4 fractions according to their expression levels of CD271 and SSEA-4 by FACS. We succeeded to isolate 3 MSC lines from these 4 fractions, including CD271+/−SSEA-4+/− cells. Approximately 1 out of 6 CD271+SSEA-4+ (DP) cells could form MSC-derived colony. These DP cells-derived MSCs could differentiate into osteoblasts and chondrocytes, but could not differentiate into adipocytes. In contrast, CD271+SSEA-4− cells and CD271−SSEA-4− cells-derived MSCs could differentiate into three lineages. Then, we assessed CD34− SRC-supportive activity of these 3 MSC lines. First, certain numbers of 18Lin−CD34− cells were cocultured with 3 MSC lines for 1 week, respectively. Next recovered cells were transplanted into NOD/SCID mice by intra-bone marrow injection (IBMI) to investigate SCID-repopulating cell (SRC) activity. After 8 weeks, the highest CD45+ human cell engraftments (0.1 % to 32.4 %, median 8.6 %) were observed in mice received 18Lin−CD34− cells cocultued with DP cells-derived MSCs. As recently reported (Cell Stem Cell 1:635,2007), Lin−CD34+CD38−CD45RA−CD90+ cells contained most primitive human CD34+CD38− SRCs. Very interestingly, these Lin−CD34+CD38−CD45RA−CD90+ cells were generated from the above mentioned cocultures. In order to evaluate SRC activity of these Lin−CD34+CD38−CD45RA−CD90+ cells generated from 18Lin−CD34− cells in vitro, Lin−CD34+CD38−CD45RA−CD90+/− cells were sorted by FACS and then transplanted into NOD/SCID mice by IBMI. Eight weeks after transplantation, 8 out of 16 mice received Lin−CD34+CD38−CD45RA−CD90+ cells (400 to 3000 cells/mouse) were repopulated with human cells. In contrast, only 2 out of 16 mice received Lin−CD34+CD38− CD45RA−CD90− cells (1500 to 7000 cells/mouse) were repopulated. These results demonstrated that human CB-derived 18Lin−CD34− cells could generate very primitive CD34+CD38− SRCs in vitro. (Conclusion)These findings elucidate that human BM-derived DP cell-derived MSCs can support very primitive human CB-derived CD34− SRCs in vitro and suggest that these CD34− SRCs seem to be more immature than CD34+CD38− SRCs. These results provide a new concept of hierarchy in the human primitive HSC compartment. Disclosures:No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Recreating a Human Hematopoietic Stem Cell Niche in Vitro by Unique Stroma Cells from the First Trimester Human Placenta and Fetal Liver

Expansion of human hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) ex vivo has been difficult due to limited understanding of their growth requirements and the molecular complexity of their natural microenvironments. To mimic the niches in which human HSCs normally develop and expand during ontogeny, we have derived two unique types of stromal niche cells from the first trimester human placenta and the fetal liver. These lines either support maintenance of multipotential progenitors in culture, or promote differentiation into macrophages. Impressively, the supportive lines facilitate over 50,000-fold expansion of the most immature human HSCs/progenitors (CD34+CD38-Thy1+) during 8-week culture supplemented with minimal cytokines FLT3L, SCF and TPO, whereas the cells cultured on non-supportive stroma or without stroma under the same conditions differentiated within 2 weeks. As the supportive stroma lines also facilitate differentiation of human hematopoietic progenitors into myeloid, erythroid and B-lymphoid lineages, we were able to show that the expanded progenitors preserved full multipotentiality during long-term culture ex vivo. Furthermore, our findings indicate that the supportive stroma lines also direct differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESC) into hematopoietic progenitor cells (CD45+CD34+) that generate multiple types of myeloerythroid colonies. These data imply that the unique supportive niche cells can both support hematopoietic specification and sustain a multilineage hematopoietic hierarchy in culture over several weeks. Strikingly, the supportive effect from the unique stromal cells was dominant over the differentiation effect from the non-supportive lines. Even supernatant from the supportive lines was able to partially protect the progenitors that were cultured on the non-supportive lines, whereas mixing of the two types of stroma resulted in sustained preservation of the multipotential progenitors. These results indicate that the supportive stroma cells possess both secreted and surface bound molecules that protect multipotentiality of HSCs. Global gene expression analysis revealed that the supportive stroma lines from both the placenta and the fetal liver were almost identical (r=0.99) and very different from the non-supportive lines that promote differentiation (r=0.34), implying that they represent two distinct niche cell types. Interestingly, the non-supportive lines express known mesenchymal markers such as (CD73, CD44 and CD166), whereas the identity of the supportive cells is less obvious. In summary, we have identified unique human stromal niche cells that may be critical components of the HSC niches in the placenta and the fetal liver. Molecular characterization of these stroma lines may enable us to define key mechanisms that govern the multipotentiality of HSCs.

Characterization and functional analysis of osteoblast-derived fibulins in the human hematopoietic stem cell niche

In the bone marrow stem cell niche, osteoblasts lining the endosteum are of major importance in supporting hematopoietic stem cell maintenance. Our objective was to analyze expression of the fibulins, highly conserved calcium-binding glycoproteins, which are components of the extracellular matrix of human osteoblasts, and to provide insights into their functional interactions with hematopoietic progenitor cells. Expression of the fibulins by human osteoblasts was determined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis and by immunofluorescence staining and immunoblotting using fibulin-specific antisera. Recombinant fibulins were used in cell proliferation and differentiation assays with human CD34(+) hematopoietic progenitor cells. Adhesive interactions of CD34(+) cells with fibulins were investigated using cell-adhesion assays. Human osteoblasts strongly express and secrete fibulin-1 and -2. Whereas fibulin-1 is secreted in its intact form, fibulin-2 synthesized by human osteoblasts undergoes rapid proteolytic degradation. The matrix metalloproteinase-2, which is constitutively expressed by the osteoblasts, seems to be responsible for fibulin-2 degradation. Fibulin-1 showed an inhibitory effect on short-term CD34(+) hematopoietic progenitor cell proliferation. Both fibulin-1 and fibulin-2 were able to diminish erythroid and myeloid colony formation. The CD34(+) cell line KG1a strongly attached to fibulin-2, whereas magnetic-activated cell sorted CD34(+) hematopoietic progenitors did not adhere to either fibulin-1 or fibulin-2. On the other hand, fibulin-1 can strongly interfere with CD34(+) cell adhesion to fibronectin. Fibulins seem to be important components of the extracellular matrix of osteoblasts and are likely to negatively influence the proliferation rate of stem cells and the overall adhesive properties of the endosteal stem cell niche.

Role of Osteoclasts in Regulation of Human Hematopoietic Stem Cell Niche and Fate.

Recent studies indicate that osteoblasts play an important role in maintaining hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) niche in the bone marrow microenvironment. The aim of study was to test the effect of osteoclasts on the fate of HSCs in a long term co-culture assay. To generate osteoclasts, peripheral blood mononuclear cells from mobilized donors were cultured for 6–10 days in αMEM media supplemented with 10% FCS, M-CSF and RANKL. After removal of non-adherent cells, the cultures contained 95% multinucleated osteoclasts and their precursors. These osteoclasts expressed TRAP and formed resorption pits on bone slices (Yaccoby et al., Cancer Res., 2004). CD34+ cells were purified from donor PBSCs and cord blood using immunomagnetic beads separation (>95% purity). Adult and cord blood HSCs were co-cultured with osteoclasts for up to 3 and 10 months, respectively, in media lacking any cytokines. Because osteoclasts do not survive long without M-CSF and RANKL, the HSCs were transferred to fresh osteoclast cultures every 6–10 days. Unlike their tight adherence to stromal cells, HSCs did not adhere to the osteoclasts and were easily recovered from co-cultures by gentle pipetting. Following 1 to 3 weeks of co-culture, committed HSCs rapidly differentiated into various hematopoietic cell lineage, followed by phagocytosis of terminal differentiated hematopoietic cells by the osteoclasts. The remaining HSCs were highly viable (>90% by trypan blue exclusion) and gradually lost their CD34 expression, so that the cultures contained subpopulations of HSCs expressing CD34−/lowCD38+ and CD34−/lowCD38−. Quantitive real time RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) revealed loss of expression of CD34 and reduced expression of CD45 by HSCs co-cultured with osteoclasts longer than 6 weeks. Variable expression of CD34 on HSCs was previously reported in murine but not human HSCs (Tajima et al., Blood, 2001). The co-cultured HSCs showed reduced capacity of generating in vitro hematopoietic colonies, and did not differentiate into osteoclasts upon stimulation with M-CSF and RANKL. We next tested the long term engraftment of these co-cultured HSCs in 2 animal models. In the first model, cord blood and adult HSCs from 2 donors recovered after >6 weeks in co-culture were injected I.V. into irradiated NOD/SCID mice. In the second novel model, co-cultured cord blood and adult HSCs from 2 donors were injected directly into rabbit bones implanted subcutaneously in SCID mice (SCID-rab model), 6–8 weeks after rabbit bone implantation. After 2–4 months, 10%±3% human CD45-expressing cells were identified in the NOD/SCID mice femora and 8%±4% in the SCID-rab mice rabbit bone. Our study suggests that osteoclasts promote rapid differentiation of committed HSCs and induce conversion of CD34+ cells to CD34− stem cells with self renewal potential. Intriguingly, long term co-culture of primary CD138-selected myeloma plasma cells (n=16) with osteoclasts resulted in dedifferentiation of tumor cells from a mature CD45− phenotype to an immature, CD45-expressing cells, suggesting a common mechanism of osteoclast-induced HSC and myeloma cell plasticity. This indicates that osteoclasts are important bone marrow component regulating human HSC niche, plasticity and fate.