Wild-type Hematopoietic Stem And Progenitor Cells Research Articles

Characterization of Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells of PNH Patients Using Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Analysis

The etiology of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is somatic PIGA mutations in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs), and affected PNH-type cells lack cell surface expression of the glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins (GPI-APs). In PNH, GPI-AP deficient cells clonally expand and occupy a large proportion of mature cells. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain clonal expansion of PNH-type HSPCs, including reduced sensitivity to apoptosis and escape from immune-mediated cytotoxicity. However, definitive mechanisms remain unclear. To further understand PNH pathophysiology at high multi-dimensional resolution, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) of bone marrow (BM) cells from PNH patients. Fresh BM samples were obtained from eight PNH patients (male, n = 2, female, n = 6; median age, 51 [range, 21-67] years), who had large PNH-type granulocyte populations and stable clone sizes (median, 45 [range, 16-99] %), and five age- and sex-matched healthy donors (HDs). PNH-type and wild-type (WT) lineage-CD34+HSPCs were enriched from bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMNCs) by flow cytometric sorting. Sorted cells were processed through the Chromium Controller (10x genomics, Pleasanton, CA, USA). scRNA-Seq libraries were constructed using the Chromium Single Cell 3' Reagent Kits (10x genomics) according to the manufacturer's instructions. The constructed libraries were sequenced with the NovaSeq 6000 system (Illumina, San Diego, CA, USA). We obtained 81,470 high-quality cells from PNH patients and 56,545 cells from HDs for further analysis. Cells were clustered with Seurat and visualized in UMAP. Cell clusters were assigned to 6 HSPC subsets based on expression of canonical marker genes (Figure 1A). To investigate compositional changes in BMMNCs between PNH patients and HDs, we performed differential abundance analysis with Milo and identified a prominent decrease in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and lymphoid progenitors, as compared to HDs (Figure 1B). We then evaluated differential abundance between PNH-type and WT HSPCs in PNH patients, identifying no significant differences in each HSPC subsets (Figure 1B). These data were consistent with flow cytometric profiling of BMMNCs, similar proportions of PNH-type cells in each HSPC subsets in individual patients despite with profound decrease in PNH-type lymphocytes (Figure 1C). We next sought to investigate skewed gene sets in PNH-type HSPCs using gene set enrichment analysis. Comparison between PNH-type and WT HSPCs identified upregulation of inflammatory signaling pathways and downregulation of the cell-cycling pathways in PNH-type HSPCs, as compared to WT HSPCs (Figure 1D). We made comparisons within individual subsets. In HSCs, genes involved in IFN-γ response and oxidative phosphorylation were upregulated in PNH-type HSCs, while cell-cycling genes (ie. E2F targets and G2M checkpoint) were not dysregulated, as compared to WT HSCs. In summary,no significant skewing in lineage differentiation of PNH-type HSPCs was observed, suggesting PNH-type lymphocytes were negatively selected during the maturation process in lymphoid tissues. Upregulation of the inflammatory and immune response pathways in PNH-type HSPCs indicated a proinflammatory phenotype of PNH-type HSPCs. Upregulation of cell cycle-related pathways was not observed in PNH-type HSCs compared to WT HSCs, consistent with stable PNH clone sizes in our cohort of PNH patients.

Elevated Functional Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells in the Peripheral Blood of G-CSF-Mobilized Dnmt3a-Mutant Mice

Clonal hematopoiesis (CH) arising from somatic mutations in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) is associated with increased risk of developing several non-hematologic and hematologic diseases. In the context of stem cell transplantation, donor HSCs carrying CH-associated somatic mutations can be passed from donor to recipient during stem cell transplantation. Most literature supports that there is no negative impact on recipient survival or outcomes after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) from donors with CH. However, it is less clear how allo-HSCT donors with CH respond to common mobilization methods such as Neupogen (G-CSF). As hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) with CH mutations have been found to respond to external stimuli such as inflammation in a manner distinct from wild-type HSPCs, it is plausible that CH-mutant HSPCs also distinctly respond to G-CSF mobilization. It is important to understand whether the process of mobilization differentially enriches for CH-mutant HSPCs in the mobilized peripheral blood product. To address this gap in knowledge, we used a murine model of Dnmt3a-mutant CH. After five consecutive days of Neupogen (G-CSF) administration, modeling the procedure for human HSC mobilization, we observed that Dnmt3a-mutant mice had significantly increased white blood cell, neutrophil and monocyte counts compared to control mice. We observed a significant increase in cell surface marker-defined HSPCs in the peripheral blood and spleen of G-CSF-treated Dnmt3a-mutant mice compared to G-CSF-treated control mice. Using in vitro colony-forming unit assays, the peripheral blood of G-CSF-treated Dnmt3a-mutant mice was found to contain a greater number of functional hematopoietic progenitors compared to G-CSF-treated control mice. To determine if the peripheral blood of G-CSF-treated Dnmt3a-mutant mice had a greater abundance of functional HSCs, we transplanted equal volumes of mobilized blood from Dnmt3a-mutant and control mice into primary and secondary lethally irradiated wild-type recipient mice. We observed increased long-term engraftment of mobilized blood from Dnmt3a-mutant mice compared to control mice in both primary and secondary recipient animals. At a mechanistic level, HSC mobilization is facilitated by myeloid cells that respond directly to G-CSF via the G-CSF receptor ( Csf1r). In Dnmt3a-mutant mice, we observed increased Csf1r expression in myeloid progenitor and mature myeloid cells compared to control mice, providing a putative mechanism by which increased mobilization is enabled. Together, our data support differential mobilization potential of Dnmt3a-mutant compared to control HSCs in response to G-CSF, which may have implications in the context of allo-HSCT.

Modeling Cell Population Dynamics in Early Hematopoiesis Reveals Mechanisms of Myeloid Bias Mediated By NFκB-Dysregulation

Alterations in hematopoiesis are associated with immune dysregulation and perturbations in NFκB signaling. Aging, for example, is correlated with increased myeloid and decreased lymphoid cell output, as well as elevated levels of NFκB activity in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC) and inflammatory cytokines in the bone marrow. Further, patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) show increased expression of components of the NFκB signaling pathway in HSPC and mesenchymal cells, in addition to increased production of inflammatory cytokines. Despite being implicated in these contexts, it remains unknown how elevated NFκB signaling might affect the production and abundance of certain HSPC subsets. Here we interrogate how increased NFκB activity may alter the developmental dynamics within the HSPC compartment to give rise to a biased progenitor population. To investigate how myeloid cell overproduction arises in the bone marrow, we developed mathematical models to recapitulate HSPC population dynamics. To address the role of NFκB in the process, we leveraged data from the IκB - mouse model ( Nfkbia +/- Nfkbib -/- Nfkbie -/-), which has constitutively elevated NFκB activity. Cell counts of HSPC subpopulations demonstrated a myeloid biased alteration in multipotent progenitor (MPP) abundances in the IκB -mouse, reminiscent of what occurs with aging. Fitting the cell population dynamics model to these data suggested that accelerated differentiation of Short-Term HSC (STHSC) with skewing in their fate commitment is insufficient to account for the increase in MPP2 and MPP3 cells. To explore additional mechanisms contributing to myeloid bias, we utilized single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) data from IκB - versuscontrol HSPC. We first used pseudotime reconstruction to position cells along a continuous differentiation trajectory from HSCs to erythrocyte-megakaryocyte- (MPP2), myeloid- (MPP3), and lymphoid- (MPP4) primed progenitors and then fit these data to a partial differential equation (PDE) model of population dynamics. This analysis suggested not only a loss of lymphoid fate specification amongst HSC but also an increase in the expansion of early myeloid primed cells to produce more MPP3 cells. Transplantation of wildtype HSPC into a lethally irradiated IκB - mouse additionally showed that an inflamed microenvironment is sufficient to drive myeloid bias. Utilizing the same mathematical models to describe these data revealed similar perturbations in population dynamics of the transplanted HSPC. Finally, the scRNAseq pseudotime analysis identified differentially expressed genes along the differentiating lineages that indicated decreased HSC commitment towards the lymphoid fate and increased proliferation of early myeloid primed cells, supporting the model predictions. We next leveraged scRNAseq datasets from HSPC isolated from MDS patients and healthy aged-matched controls to explore if these features of NFκB-mediated immune dysregulation are clinically relevant. These data demonstrated myeloid bias in progenitors at the transcriptional level and suggested elevated NFκB signaling amongst the HSPC from MDS patients. Finally, applying the same mathematical modeling and gene expression analyses developed for the murine datasets revealed common perturbations in developmental dynamics of MDS HPSC as the IκB - mouse models. These analyses motivate further study of the downstream consequences of immune dysregulation on hematopoiesis and the identification of perturbations in NFκB signaling in pathological contexts.

STAG2 loss Induces HSC Programs By Modulating Accessibility of AP-1 Bound Enhancers

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are blood disorders characterized by clonal expansion of mutant hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). Mutations in genes encoding the cohesin complex, including STAG2, RAD21, SMC3 and SMC1A, are frequent genetic drivers in MDS and AML. However, the mechanisms by which cohesin mutations lead to clonal expansion of HSPCs are not well understood. Cohesin is essential for sister chromatid cohesion, DNA damage repair, maintenance of chromatin architecture, and gene regulation. To investigate the impact of cohesin mutations on chromatin accessibility, we performed ATAC-Seq in a panel of six isogenic STAG2 wild type (WT) and knockout (KO) U937 leukemia cell lines. Among the total of 97,798 ATAC-Seq peaks, we identified significantly more STAG2 KO (8,859) versus WT (1,622) uniquely accessible chromatin sites, which were strongly enriched for intergenic regions. Integration of ChIP-Seq profiling of cohesin binding and histone modifications demonstrated cohesin binding and an increase in the active enhancer and promoter histone mark H3K27Ac in the STAG2 KO newly accessible chromatin, suggesting a direct role for cohesin in regulating the activity of such enhancers. Together, our data demonstrate that STAG2 KO-induced open chromatin may be enriched for novel STAG2 KO-specific enhancers. To further infer the regulatory function of these putative enhancers, we predicted binding of transcription factors (TFs) in ATAC-Seq-defined regions by performing TF footprinting using the Transcription factor Occupancy Prediction By Investigation of ATAC-seq Signal (TOBIAS) algorithm. We observed that binding of members of the AP-1 transcription family, including JUN FOS andATF, previously implicated in oncogenic transformation, was significantly enriched in the STAG2 KO cells (Figure 1A). Conversely, STAG2 KO cells lost CEBP TF binding in regions that lost chromatin accessibility. To identify potential regulatory targets of these TFs, we mapped TF footprints to annotated promoter regions and to enhancer-gene pairs determined by the Activity by Contact (ABC) model. We observed a strong correlation between predicted AP-1 binding and gene expression of putative regulated genes in STAG2 KO cells, further supporting the role of these newly accessible AP-1 bound sites as regulatory elements. To validate our findings using in vivo models of cohesin-mutant disease, we performed RNA-Seq and ATAC-Seq in HSPC isolated from a Tet2/Stag2 mouse model of MDS previously developed in our lab. We confirmed an increase in accessible chromatin and demonstrated a strong enrichment of predicted Ap-1 binding in intergenic regions, in agreement with our observations in the U937 model. Gene set enrichment analysis in the Tet2/Stag2-mutant versus WT HSPC revealed that putative targets of Ap-1 binding were enriched for hematopoietic stem cell gene signatures (Figure 1B) . This is consistent with our observation of clonal expansion of HSPCs in this model, and suggests a mechanism by which novel Ap-1 bound enhancers may facilitate expression of key genes involved in HSPC expansion and development of MDS/AML. To explore whether our findings were applicable to other published models of Stag2 mutant myeloid neoplasms, we performed TF footprinting using publicly available ATAC-Seq datasets generated in HSPC isolated from Stag2 and Runx1/Stag2 conditional knockout mice. We recapitulated increased chromatin accessibility and significant enrichment of cohesin-bound Ap-1 footprints in Stag2 mutant over WT conditions. Together, these data further validate conservation of STAG2 KO-induced AP-1 bound regulatory elements in human and mouse models of MDS and AML. In summary, we show that STAG2 loss leads to the establishment of a novel set of accessible intergenic regions with features of enhancer activity in vitro and in vivo. We identify multiple members of the AP-1 complex with enriched predicted binding at these putative enhancers, and demonstrate that AP-1 may drive expression of HSPC signatures in models of Stag2 mutant MDS in vivo. We illustrate here a potential role for the AP-1 complex in cohesin mutant myeloid malignancies, which we are currently functionally interrogating.

The Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein is required for positive selection during T-cell lineage differentiation.

The Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) is an X-linked primary immune deficiency caused by a mutation in the WAS gene. This leads to altered or absent WAS protein (WASp) expression and function resulting in thrombocytopenia, eczema, recurrent infections, and autoimmunity. In T cells, WASp is required for immune synapse formation. Patients with WAS show reduced numbers of peripheral blood T lymphocytes and an altered T-cell receptor repertoire. In vitro, their peripheral T cells show decreased proliferation and cytokine production upon aCD3/aCD28 stimulation. It is unclear whether these T-cell defects are acquired during peripheral activation or are, in part, generated during thymic development. Here, we assessed the role of WASp during T-cell differentiation using artificial thymic organoid cultures and in the thymus of humanized mice. Although CRISPR/Cas9 WAS knockout hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) rearranged the T-cell receptor and differentiated to T-cell receptor (TCR)+ CD4+ CD8+ double-positive (DP) cells similar to wild-type HSPCs, a partial defect in the generation of CD8 single-positive (SP) cells was observed, suggesting that WASp is involved in their positive selection. TCR repertoire analysis of the DP and CD8+ SP population, however, showed a polyclonal repertoire with no bias toward autoreactivity. To our knowledge, this is the first study of the role of WASp in human T-cell differentiation and on TCR repertoire generation.

Abstract 3664: Mechanism for bone marrow failure differs between acute myeloid and lymphoid leukemia

Abstract Acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are aggressive forms of blood cancer that impair normal hematopoiesis and are typically associated with bone marrow (BM) failure, reflected by peripheral blood pancytopenia. While BM failure is thought to be mediated by the loss of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) due to leukemic expansion, with leukemic cells “crowding out” normal HSPCs, the mechanisms underlying this process remain unclear. To elucidate these mechanisms, we examined the effects of AML or ALL on residual normal or wild type (WT) hematopoiesis. The 961C cell line is an AML cell line derived from a NUP98-PH23 (NP23) transgenic mouse, and the T259 cell line is a B cell precursor ALL (BCP ALL) cell line also derived from an NP23 mouse. AML and BCP ALL were generated by transplantation of 961C or T259 cell lines into congenic recipients without cytotoxic conditioning. The use of congenic mice allowed engraftment of immunocompetent mice, and the lack of cytotoxic conditioning prevented damage to the BM microenvironment. Mice with AML demonstrated severe anemia, thrombocytopenia, and depletion of HSPCs, along with a marked reduction of total BM cellularity (WT + AML cells), suggesting that BM suppression was not due to a physical “crowding” mechanism. Instead, BM suppression in the absence of BM replacement with myeloblasts suggested that hematopoiesis may be inhibited by a factor secreted by the AML blasts. The inflammatory cytokines TNF-A and IL-6 were markedly increased in the peripheral blood of mice with AML, suggesting these were candidates for a factor responsible for decreased cellularity and pancytopenia. In contrast, mice with BCP ALL demonstrated normal hemoglobin and leukocyte counts, even with significant ALL engraftment. The loss of WT hematopoietic cells in the BM was equivalent to the gain of leukemic cells in the BM, and the total number of leukemic cells in mice with BCP ALL was 14-fold higher than the number of leukemic cells in mice with AML. Of note, the spleen of mice with BCP ALL displayed a 100x increase in WT HSPCs compared to non-transplanted mice with healthy BM. These findings suggest that BCP ALL depletes WT HSPCs in the BM through a physical expansion mechanism. WT splenic HSPCs from mice with AML were shown to have normal numbers of functional hematopoietic stem cells via a limiting dilution assay. In addition, WT HSPCs harvested from mice with BCP ALL generated similar numbers and types of colonies in vitro compared to WT HSPC harvested from non-leukemic mice. Both experiments suggest that neither BCP ALL nor AML induced a permanent change in the functionality of WT HSPCs. In conclusion, our results suggest that AML induces BM failure independent of leukemic burden, possibly via a secreted cytokine, whereas BCP ALL induces BM failure through physical expansion that replaces WT HSPCS with leukemic cells. Citation Format: Ryan Matthew Bertoli, Peter D. Aplan, Yang Jo Chung. Mechanism for bone marrow failure differs between acute myeloid and lymphoid leukemia. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 3664.

An innovative hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy approach benefits CLN1 disease in the mouse model.

Hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) can establish a long-lasting microglia-like progeny in the central nervous system of properly myeloablated hosts. We exploited this approach to treat the severe CLN1 neurodegenerative disorder, which is the most aggressive form of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses due to palmitoyl-protein thioesterase-1 (PPT1) deficiency. We here provide the first evidence that (i) transplantation of wild-type HSPCs exerts partial but long-lasting mitigation of CLN1 symptoms; (ii) transplantation of HSPCs over-expressing hPPT1 by lentiviral gene transfer enhances the therapeutic benefit of HSPCs transplant, with first demonstration of such a dose-effect benefit for a purely neurodegenerative condition like CLN1 disease; (iii) transplantation of hPPT1 over-expressing HSPCs by a novel intracerebroventricular (ICV) approach is sufficient to transiently ameliorate CLN1-symptoms in the absence of hematopoietic tissue engraftment of the transduced cells; and (iv) combinatorial transplantation of transduced HSPCs intravenously and ICV results in a robust therapeutic benefit, particularly on symptomatic animals. Overall, these findings provide first evidence of efficacy and feasibility of this novel approach to treat CLN1 disease and possibly other neurodegenerative conditions, paving the way for its future clinical application.

Abstract P073: Targeting JAK1 signaling for molecular prevention in clonal hematopoiesis

Abstract Myeloid malignancies are characterized by the stepwise acquisition of different somatic mutations in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) that promote subsequent leukemic transformation. When these mutations, including in the epigenetic regulator TET2, are found in the blood cells of individuals without any signs of hematologic malignancy, this condition is termed clonal hematopoiesis (CH). The incidence of CH increases with age and has been recognized as a risk factor for the development of secondary heme malignancies and cardiovascular disease. Nonetheless, currently no therapies exist to alter the natural course of CH. Accumulating evidence indicates that inflammatory signals can enhance myeloproliferation of CH HSPCs suggesting a key role of inflammatory stressors in the promotion of the clonal advantage of Tet2-mutant stem cells. However, whether hijacking this inflammatory signaling will prevent clonal expansion and leukemogenesis is currently unknown. The members of the Janus family of nonreceptor tyrosine kinases (JAK) transmit a diversity of ligand-mediated signals and act as a signaling-hub for inflammation. Our central hypothesis is that CH and progression to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) occurs in the setting of inflammatory stress and that mutant clonal expansion is mediated by JAK/STAT inflammatory signaling, primarily through JAK1, a non-essential gene in adult hematopoiesis. We previously showed that Jak1 is critical for stress hematopoiesis in HSPCs. To assess whether Tet2-mediated clonal expansion requires Jak1, signaling, we established a conditional Scl driven Cre-inducible deletion model of Tet2-/- and Jak1-/-. We have adapted a bone marrow derived endothelial cell organoid system that allows to maintain and expand HSPCs during longer periods of time. In this setting Tet2-/- HSPCs show increased sensitivity to IL3, a Jak1-dependent cytokine that mediates exit of quiescence in HSPCs. The loss of competitive advantage of Tet2-/- Jak1-/- cells persists even in the context of co-culture with Jak1-/- Tet2-wildtype cells, and to a lesser extent in the presence of the Jak1 inhibitor Itacitinib, suggesting a denser requirement for Jak1 in CH mutant clones compared to wild-type HSPCs. Ex-vivo colony forming assays and in vivo competitive transplants demonstrate that the self-renewal abilities of Tet2-mutant HSPCs require Jak1 signaling. Furthermore, the extramedullary hematopoiesis observed in a primary model of Tet2-/- pre-leukemic myeloproliferation, was also dependent on Jak1. Moreover, studies in Tet2-/-/Flt3ITD and Mll-AF9 AML models showed that pharmacologic Jak1 inhibition abrogated ex vivo colony formation in both AMLs. This study is significant because targeting JAK/STAT mediated inflammatory signaling in CH-mutant HSPCs has the ability to translate into a precision interception strategy aimed at preventing clonal expansion and leukemic transformation. Citation Format: Pablo Sánchez Vela, Anthony Martinez Benitez, Aishwarya Krishnan, Maria Kleppe, Sheng F. Cai, Ross L. Levine. Targeting JAK1 signaling for molecular prevention in clonal hematopoiesis. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Precision Prevention, Early Detection, and Interception of Cancer; 2022 Nov 17-19; Austin, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Can Prev Res 2023;16(1 Suppl): Abstract nr P073.

A Circulating Microbial Metabolite Drives the Clonal Expansion of Pre-Leukemic Cells

Inflammatory mediators, including cytokines and microbial ligands, are implicated in the development of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). A consequence of aging and various autoimmune and inflammatory conditions is loss of intestinal barrier integrity and translocation of microbial species and metabolites into circulation. More recent findings revealed that patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) harbor mutant hematopoietic clones and often present with clinical manifestations of MDS/AML. Moreover, intestinal barrier dysfunction is commonly reported at diagnosis in patients with MDS and AML. These observations led us to speculate that microbial-derived signals may contribute to the expansion of pre-leukemic hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) and development of myeloid malignancies. To determine if loss of intestinal barrier integrity contributes to the expansion of pre-leukemic DNMT3a-mutant HSPCs, we generated a model of IBD by inducing gut epithelial injury using dextran sulfate sodium (DSS). Upon gut epithelial injury, we observed a significant expansion of DNMT3a-mutant HSPCs, but not of wild-type (WT) HSPCs, in vivo. Unexpectedly, DNMT3a-mutant HSPCs do not exhibit a competitive advantage over WT cells in the absence of intestinal barrier dysfunction, such as following DSS or high-dose radiation. Fecal material from DSS-treated WT mice was sufficient to induce expansion of DNMT3a-mutant HSPCs and this expansion was prevented with broad-spectrum antibiotics. These findings indicate that the competitive advantage of DNMT3a-mutant HSPCs following gut epithelial injury was due to alterations in the microbiome. In parallel sequencing studies, we identified a significant enrichment of gram-negative bacterial phyla in stool samples from the IBD mouse model, IBD patients, and treatment-naive AML patients. All gram-negative bacteria uniquely generate a microbial intermediate, ADP-heptose, as part of the lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis pathway. ADP-heptose can enter the blood circulation and freely translocate into cells and activate the ALPK1-TIFA complex ("TIFAsome"). Alpha-protein kinase 1 (ALPK1) and tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor (TRAF)-interacting protein with an FHA domain (TIFA) are overexpressed in primary human MDS and AML HSPCs as compared to healthy donors and their expression is correlated with poor prognosis. Gram negative bacteria and corresponding ADP-heptose levels were also significantly increased in the plasma of individuals with intestinal barrier injury, such with IBD, MDS, or upon aging, as compared to young healthy individuals. The circulating levels of ADP-heptose from aged individuals and IBD or MDS patients were sufficient to induce the TIFAsome in leukemic cells. Moreover, administration of disease relevant levels of ADP-heptose resulted in expansion and enhanced function of mouse DNMT3a-mutant HSPCs and of human AML cell lines and primary MDS cells in vivo. Expansion of DNMT3a-mutant HSPCs and human MDS/AML cells was directly related to overexpression of ALPK1, as WT HSPCs or ALPK1-deficient AML cells did not respond to ADP-heptose. To gain deeper mechanistic insight, we examined global transcriptional and epigenetic changes in purified WT and DNTM3a-mutant HSCs treated with ADP-heptose. DNMT3a-mutant HSCs treated with ADP-heptose resulted in epigenetic changes and increased expression of gene programs related to non-canonical NF-kB, ERK/MAPK, cell cycle activation, cell survival, and stem cell function. Indeed, ADP-heptose caused increased cycling and self-renewal of DNMT3a-mutant HSPCs, but not WT HSPCs, via the TIFAsome in vitro and in vivo. Based on the enriched pathways in DNMT3a-mutant HSCs treated with ADP-heptose, we screened small molecule inhibitors of TIFAsome activation. We found that targeting UBE2N abrogated ADP-heptose-mediated signaling via the TIFAsome and expansion of patient-derived AML xenografts. In summary, we report that conditions leading to intestinal barrier dysfunction and circulating ADP-heptose from gram-negative bacteria induce expansion of pre-leukemic and MDS/AML cells via ALPK1-TIFA. Lastly, we provide a potential therapeutic strategy to prevent the competitive advantage of pre-leukemic cells prior to overt malignant transformation.

Metformin Treatment Abrogates the Competitive Advantage of Dnmt3a R878H HSPCs By Enhancing DNA Methylation Activity

Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) refers to the clonal expansion of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) carrying leukemogenic mutations in individuals without evidence of a blood disorder. CHIP carriers are at an increased risk of blood cancers and cardiovascular diseases. Targeting the clonal expansion of mutant HSPCs has the potential to mitigate CHIP-related illnesses. The most commonly mutated gene in CHIP is DNMT3A, which encodes an enzyme that catalyzes the methyl transfer from S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) to cytosines in DNA. The heterozygous DNMT3A hotspot mutation at R882 exerts a dominant negative effect on the wild-type (WT) allele, resulting in decreased DNA methylation activity. Prior studies have shown that murine HSPCs carrying mutant Dnmt3a R878H (equivalent to R882 in humans) have an advantage over WT cells in competition assays. Here, we aimed to first identify differences in the functional properties between Dnmt3a-mutated and WT HSPCs. Given the crosstalk between mitochondrial metabolism and DNA methylation, we investigated potential differences in mitochondrial activity and found that the level of mitochondrial respiration was higher in Dnmt3aR878H/+ HSPCs than in WT cells. To determine if this translated to differential dependencies, we silenced the expression of critical subunits in the each of five electron transport chain (ETC) complexes. Knockdown of NDUFV1 in Complex I was the most effective in reducing the competitive advantage of Dnmt3aR878H/+ cells in vitro. To explore translational relevance of this finding, we tested the impact of metformin, a pharmacologic inhibitor of Complex I, on Dnmt3a-mutated HSPCs. Treatment with metformin at clinically relevant concentrations suppressed the competitive advantage of mutant cells in vitro. Importantly, this effect was rescued by expression of NDI1, a metformin-resistant yeast analog of Complex I. To extend these findings, we conducted a competitive repopulation assay between CD45.2+ Dnmt3aR878H/+ and CD45.1+ Dnmt3a+/+ HSPCs. Metformin treatment abrogated the in vivo competitive advantage of mutant cells over an 8-month period based on peripheral blood chimerism. To decipher the mechanism of action, we performed transcriptome and metabolome profiling of mutant HSPCs treated with or without metformin for 1 month. GSEA analysis of the transcriptome data revealed a downregulation of genes associated with stemness in metformin-treated cells. Intriguingly, we found that metformin increased the expression of genes involved in one-carbon metabolism, which generates SAM. Consistent with these findings, metabolomics analysis showed that the levels of several key metabolites in one-carbon metabolism, including SAM, were higher in metformin-treated cells compared with controls. Genetic and pharmacologic inhibition of serine hydroxymethyltransferase 2 (SHMT2), a key enzyme in one-carbon metabolism, as well as the addition of exogeneous S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH), an inhibitor of SAM-dependent methyltransferases, effectively rescued the effect of metformin on mutant cells in vitro. Based on the above findings, we hypothesized that metformin treatment might enhance the residual DNA methylation activity found in Dnmt3aR878H/+ mutated cells by increasing SAM concentration. In support of this hypothesis, we found that exogeneous SAM reproduced the effect of metformin, and HSPCs with homozygous Dnmt3aR878H mutations were insensitive to metformin. Furthermore, we performed DNA methylome profiling of untreated and metformin-treated mutant and WT HSPCs using RRBS. This analysis revealed that the hypomethylated regions (HMRs) in untreated Dnmt3aR878H/+ HSPCs relative to WT controls were enriched for regions of repressed chromatin with H3K27 methylation. Importantly, metformin treatment increased the level of DNA methylation at these regions in mutated HSPCs. In summary, our findings demonstrate that Dnmt3aR878H/+ HSPCs depend on ETC activity and particularly complex I activity to maintain their competitive advantage over WT cells. We propose a model in which inhibition of complex I activity with metformin increases one-carbon metabolism and SAM level, thereby restoring DNA methylation at HMRs and the differentiation of mutant HSPCs. Our findings have important implications for the development of preventive interventions against DNMT3A-mutated CHIP.

TIRAP Drives Marrow Failure through an Ifnγ-Hmgb1 Axis That Disrupts the Endothelial Niche

The myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) are a group of hematological malignancies with the propensity to develop into either acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or bone marrow failure (BMF). Dysregulation of immune and inflammatory responses has been implicated in MDS and other BMF disorders. There is significant evidence for IFNγ playing a key role in MDS and BMF syndromes. However, there are conflicting theories regarding the mechanism by which IFNγ promotes BMF. There is also very little information on the triggers that underlie upregulation of IFNγ in these BMF syndromes. Interstitial deletion of chromosome 5q is the most common cytogenetic abnormality observed in MDS, accounting for approximately 10% of all cases. Our lab has previously shown that miR-145, which is located on the minimally deleted region of chromosome 5q, targets Toll/Interleukin-1 receptor domain containing adaptor protein (TIRAP) - an innate immune adaptor protein. However, the role of TIRAP in marrow failure has not been well elucidated. In this study, we identify a novel role for TIRAP in dysregulating normal hematopoiesis through activation of Ifnγ.Using bone marrow transplants in wild-type mice, we showed that constitutive expression of TIRAP in wild-type hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC) caused peripheral blood cytopenia, suppressed the bone marrow endothelial niche and significantly reduced overall survival of the mice (median survival 9 weeks post-transplant) compared to controls (p < 0.0001). RNA-seq analysis of TIRAP expressing HSPC identified several proinflammatory cytokines to be significantly overrepresented. Geneset enrichment analysis (GSEA) identified the Ifnγ response as the single most significantly enriched pathway of the Hallmark genesets. To test the functional role of Ifnγ in TIRAP-mediated BMF, wild-type recipient mice were transplanted with TIRAP- HSPC from Ifnγ-/- donor mice. Mice that received TIRAP-transduced Ifnγ-/- HSPC were rescued from BMF, as evidenced by normalized blood cell counts and improved median survival (median survival 48.6 weeks) (Ifnγ-/- TIRAP vs. wild-type TIRAP: p = 0.0004). Interestingly, in our model of TIRAP induced BMF, myeloid rather than the conventional T and NK cells were the cells most responsible for the increased production of Ifnγ. Further, when we transplanted TIRAP expressing wild-type HSPC into NSG recipient mice, which are deficient in functional B, T and NK cells, the NSG mice developed BMF with pancytopenia in a similar time-frame as wild-type mice. This suggested that T and NK cells are not central for the development of TIRAP induced BMF.Delving deeper into the mechanism by which the TIRAP-Ifnγ axis causes BMF, we saw that while Ifnγ played a direct role in suppressing erythropoiesis and megakaryopoiesis, it played an indirect, Ifnγ receptor independent role on myelopoiesis. TIRAP-induced activation of Ifnγ released the alarmin, Hmgb1, which suppressed the marrow endothelial niche, which in turn promoted myeloid suppression. Overexpression of TIRAP in Ifnγ -/- background blocked Hmgb1 release. Further, blocking Hmgb1 in presence of TIRAP expression was sufficient to reverse the marrow endothelial defect and restore myelopoiesis in vivo.Our findings highlight a novel, non-canonical effect of aberrant TIRAP expression via the Ifnγ-Hmgb1 axis on the endothelial cell component of the marrow microenvironment and hematopoiesis. Further understanding of this pathway would open up avenues for developing new therapies for BMF. [Display omitted] DisclosuresNo relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Research Highlights

Research Highlights

Replenishment of Damaged Bone Marrow Niches By Circulating Hematopoietic Stem Cells

Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells (HSPC) support life-long production of blood cells through multipotent differentiation and self-renewal. Adult HSPC reside predominantly in the bone marrow (BM) but low levels of HSPC can be found in the bloodstream (Wright et al, Science 2001). The spontaneous egress of HSPC from the BM into the circulation follow circadian cycles which are in anti-phase with the chemokine Cxcl12 produced by the niche microenvironment (Mendez-Ferrer et al, Nature 2008). This phenomenon is regulated exogenously by the molecular clock, which orchestrates the circadian release of noradrenaline by the sympathetic nervous system. Medullary HSPC are crucial for haematopoiesis under normal and stress conditions; in contrast, the physiological function of circulating HSPC remains largely unknown. Here we aimed at exploring the role of circulating HSPC.To study the role of circulating HSC under stress conditions we used a mouse model in which genotoxic damage was specifically applied to the lower limbs (femur and tibiae) without affecting other parts of the body. Affected bones were collected at different times after irradiation and the number of LSK (LinNEG Sca1+ c-Kit+) and myeloid progenitors (LinNEG Sca1NEG c-Kit+) were determined by flow cytometry. We found that LSK numbers were restored in the irradiated marrows from two weeks after irradiation, indicating that endogenous circulating HSPC can home into and re-populate genotoxic-damaged niches. To further confirm this observation we performed parabiotic assays in which we surgically conjoined unperturbed or sub-lethally irradiated mice together with non-irradiated wild type (WT) GFP reporter mice. Parabionts were surgically separated after 3 weeks of shared circulation and irradiated mice were analysed for partner-derived HSC repopulating activity. Our results indicate that circulating HSPC efficiently travel through the circulation of the parabiotic partner, home to the BM and repopulate damaged niches.We next examined the contribution of circulating HSC in the absence of exogenous stress. This, however, represented a challenge as no models have been reported to display basal deficiency of circulating HSPC in blood. While analysing mice with genetic deficiency in CXCR2, a chemokine receptor needed for the egress of neutrophils from the BM, we noticed that mice haploinsuficient for CXCR2 (CXCR2HET) displayed a 6-fold reduction in the number of circulating HSPC compared with WT mice. Additional experiments demonstrated that this chemokine receptor was expressed at low levels on HSPC as determined by flow cytometry and quantitative PCR, and was functional as determined by in vitro migration assays. CXCR2 was also expressed in wild-type HSPC with long-term reconstituting capacity (LT-HSC), as BM cells that migrated to the CXCR2 ligand CXCL1 had LT reconstituting capacity following BM transplantation. Remarkably, CXCR2HET resulted in undetectable levels of the receptor on HSPC and impaired in vitro and in vivo migration, which suggested that HSC with LT-repopulating activity need two copies of CXCR2 for homeostatic egress from the BM. These observations also provided a model to study the functional contribution of blood HSC during homeostasis. We therefore conjoined WT or CXCR2HET with S cid mice by parabiosis. Scid mice display an intrinsic HSPC defect that becomes evident in the presence of normal, competing HSC (Qing et al, Blood 2012). After 1 month of shared circulation, the parabionts were surgically separated and partner-derived LT repopulating activity was measured in the S cid partners. While exogenously injected marrow cells from WT or CXCR2HET mice were able to home into and repopulate the BM of the Scid mice, only WT partners were capable to efficiently outcompete Scid HSPC.Our results thus indicate that an important function of endogenously circulating HSPC is to repopulate niches that either become vacant after a stress or are populated by intrinsically defective HSPC, and that this process relies on CXCR2-mediated homeostatic egress. These studies pave the way to understanding the biology of circulating HSC and to extend their application in haematological deficiencies, leukaemia or bone marrow regeneration. DisclosuresNo relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Distinct effects of chondroitin sulfate on hematopoietic cells and the stromal microenvironment in bone marrow hematopoiesis

The bone marrow (BM) microenvironment, known as the BM niche, regulates hematopoiesis but is also affected by interactions with hematopoietic cells. Recent evidence indicates that extracellular matrix components are involved in these interactions. Chondroitin sulfate (CS), a glycosaminoglycan, is a major component of the extracellular matrix; however, it is not known whether CS has a physiological role in hematopoiesis. Here, we analyzed the functions of CS in hematopoietic and niche cells. CSGalNAcT1, which encodes CS N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase-1 (T1), a key enzyme in CS biosynthesis, was highly expressed in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) and endothelial cells (ECs), but not in mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) in BM. In T1 knockout (T1KO) mice, a greater number of HSPCs existed compared with the wild-type (WT), but HSPCs from T1KO mice showed significantly impaired repopulation in WT recipient mice on serial transplantation. RNA sequence analysis revealed the activation of IFN-α/β signaling and endoplasmic reticulum stress in T1KO HSPCs. In contrast, the number of WT HSPCs repopulated in T1KO recipient mice was larger than that in WT recipient mice after serial transplantation, indicating that the T1KO niche supports repopulation of HSPCs better than the WT niche. There was no obvious difference in the distribution of vasculature and MSCs between WT and T1KO BM, suggesting that CS loss alters vascular niche functions without affecting its structure. Our results revealed distinct roles of CS in hematopoietic cells and BM niche, indicating that crosstalk between these components is important to maintain homeostasis in BM.

Single-Cell Analyses Reveal Megakaryocyte-Biased Hematopoiesis in Myelofibrosis and Identify Mutant Clone-Specific Targets

SummaryMyelofibrosis is a severe myeloproliferative neoplasm characterized by increased numbers of abnormal bone marrow megakaryocytes that induce fibrosis, destroying the hematopoietic microenvironment. To determine the cellular and molecular basis for aberrant megakaryopoiesis in myelofibrosis, we performed single-cell transcriptome profiling of 135,929 CD34+ lineage− hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs), single-cell proteomics, genomics, and functional assays. We identified a bias toward megakaryocyte differentiation apparent from early multipotent stem cells in myelofibrosis and associated aberrant molecular signatures. A sub-fraction of myelofibrosis megakaryocyte progenitors (MkPs) are transcriptionally similar to healthy-donor MkPs, but the majority are disease specific, with distinct populations expressing fibrosis- and proliferation-associated genes. Mutant-clone HSPCs have increased expression of megakaryocyte-associated genes compared to wild-type HSPCs, and we provide early validation of G6B as a potential immunotherapy target. Our study paves the way for selective targeting of the myelofibrosis clone and illustrates the power of single-cell multi-omics to discover tumor-specific therapeutic targets and mediators of tissue fibrosis.

Mutational Synergy Coordinately Remodels Chromatin Accessibility, Enhancer Landscape and 3-Dimensional DNA Topology to Alter Gene Expression during Leukemia Induction

Aberrant transcriptional programs are cardinal features of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). Recently, it has been shown that specific distal cis-regulatory elements called enhancers communicate with promoters through 3-D DNA looping to regulate tissue-specific gene expression. Recurrent mutations in epigenetic regulators that modify enhancers, transcription factors that bind enhancers and the structural proteins that promote DNA looping, such as the Cohesin complex and its major binding partner CTCF have been demonstrated in AML. However, how these mutations regulate chromatin and alter 3D-DNA topology and communication between enhancers and promoters to generate leukemia-specific transcriptional programs remains poorly understood. In addition, many AML cases lack mutations in epigenetic regulators, transcription factors or DNA structural proteins, yet still demonstrate aberrant transcription, suggesting indirect effects of other mutations on enhancer function and the epigenetic landscape. To address these questions, we have utilized an allelic series of mice carrying the most common mutations in AML, namely Flt3-ITD and Npm1c (co-mutated in ~15% of all AMLs). These model different "transition states" (normal: wild type (WT), Pre-Malignant: single mutant (SM) with either Flt3-ITD or Npm1c mutations and Malignant: double mutant (DM)) during AML induction. Moreover, our design allows analysis of the SM mice to deconvolute the contribution of individual mutations to altered chromatin regulation. We have analyzed hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) from WT and mutant mice for gene expression (RNA-seq), chromatin activation states (ChIP-seq for H3K4me1, H3K4me3, H3K27ac and H3K27me3), chromatin accessibility (ATAC-seq), and promoter-anchored 3-D chromatin interaction (promoter capture HiC, pCHiC)(Figure 1) and have integrated these analyses to determine the transcriptional, epigenetic and DNA-topological evolution of AML. Through pairwise comparisons between mutant and WT HSPCs, our data demonstrated that SM cells, with either Flt3-ITDor Npm1c mutations, alter gene expression only very modestly. However, when both mutations are present in DM cells, much larger gene programs that drive leukemia are both up- and downregulated. To examine the epigenetic regulation of these programs, we next built an enhancer compendium across all 4 allelic states using the H3K4me1 mark. Layering on H3K27ac activation, our data demonstrated that, in contrast to gene expression, significant alterations in enhancer specification and activation occur in advance of gene expression changes, to "prime" critical genes in Flt3-ITD, but not in Npm1c HSPCs. By contrast, Flt3-ITD and Npm1c mutations both altered global chromatin accessibility, with losses and gains evident at multiple critical genes. Similarly, our pCHiC data demonstrated significant alterations in DNA topology in mutant HSPCs that culminate in alterations in DNA "compartments" in DM HSPC. Moreover, they identified "hardwired" and "rewired" interactions between promoters and enhancers important for expression of critical leukemia programs. Analyses of all of these separate layers demonstrated a uniform pattern; progressive alterations in the transition from SM to DM HSPCs. Integrating these layers of analysis clearly demonstrated synergy between the mutations and a correlation between gene expression changes and chromatin dynamics in mutant cells. Furthermore, performing de novo motif analysis suggested a signal-specific transcription factor (TF) network downstream of Flt3-ITD that was amplified in the DM HSPC and that was corroborated by GSEA analysis. Our data had identified long-range regulatory control regions at the Spi1/PU.1 and Hoxa cluster loci amongst many others, and motif analysis had suggested Hox and Pu.1 to be important TFs in our malignant networks. Using these as examplars, we then perturbed the genes and regulatory elements at these loci by shRNA knockdown and CRISPR-mediated excision and could abrogate leukemic growth, validating the importance of our proposed networks. Taken together, these integrated analyses demonstrate a highly dynamic and coordinated process, where the effects of individual mutations synergize to remodel the chromatin landscape and 3D-DNA topology to generate networks that initiate and maintain AML transcriptional programs. Figure Disclosures Vassiliou: Kymab Ltd: Consultancy, Other: Minor Stockholder; Oxstem Ltd: Consultancy; Celgene: Research Funding.

Epigenetic drug library screening identified an LSD1 inhibitor to target UTX-deficient cells for differentiation therapy

UTX (also known as KDM6A), a histone 3 lysine 27 demethylase, is among the most frequently mutated epigenetic regulators in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Recent studies have suggested that UTX mutations promote MDS and AML by blocking the differentiation of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). Here, we performed an epigenetic drug library screening for small molecules able to release the differentiation block on HSPCs induced by UTX deficiency. We found that SP2509, a selective inhibitor of LSD1, specifically promoted the differentiation of Utx-null HSPCs while sparing wild-type HSPCs. Transcriptome profiling showed that Utx loss reduced the expression of differentiation-related and tumor suppressor genes, correlating with their potential roles in HSPC self-renewal and leukemogenesis. In contrast, SP2509 treatment reversed these changes in gene expression in Utx-null HSPCs. Accordingly, Utx loss decreased H3K4 methylation level probably through the COMPASS-like complex, while LSD1 inhibition by SP2509 partially reversed the reduction of H3K4 methylation in Utx-deficient HSPCs. Further, SP2509 promoted the differentiation of Utx-null AML cells in vitro and in vivo and, therefore, extended the survival of these leukemic mice. Thus, our study identified a novel strategy to specifically target both premalignant and malignant cells with Utx deficiency for differentiation therapy and provided insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the role of Utx in regulating HSPCs and related diseases.

α-Toxin Regulates Local Granulocyte Expansion from Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells in Staphylococcus aureus-Infected Wounds.

The immune response to Staphylococcus aureus infection in skin involves the recruitment of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) from the bone marrow via the circulation and local granulopoiesis from hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) that also traffic to infected skin wounds. We focus on regulation of PMN number and function and the role of pore-forming α-toxin (AT), a virulence factor that causes host cell lysis and elicits inflammasome-mediated IL-1β secretion in wounds. Infection with wild-type S. aureus enriched in AT reduced PMN recruitment and resulted in sustained bacterial burden and delayed wound healing. In contrast, PMN recruitment to wounds infected with an isogenic AT-deficient S. aureus strain was unimpeded, exhibiting efficient bacterial clearance and hastened wound resolution. HSPCs recruited to infected wounds were unaffected by AT production and were activated to expand PMN numbers in proportion to S. aureus abundance in a manner regulated by TLR2 and IL-1R signaling. Immunodeficient MyD88-knockout mice infected with S. aureus experienced lethal sepsis that was reversed by PMN expansion mediated by injection of wild-type HSPCs directly into wounds. We conclude that AT-induced IL-1β promotes local granulopoiesis and effective resolution of S. aureus-infected wounds, revealing a potential antibiotic-free strategy for tuning the innate immune response to treat methicillin-resistant S. aureus infection in immunodeficient patients.

Mitochondria Transfer from Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells to Pdgfrα+/Sca-1-/CD48dim BM Stromal Cells Via CX43 Gap Junctions and AMPK Signaling Inversely Regulate ROS Generation in Both Cell Populations

Modulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) is crucial to control HSC quiescence and blood formation. High ROS levels are required for leukocyte formation while low ROS levels are essential to maintain HSC quiescence. However, regulation of ROS content in HSC is poorly understood. Adhesion interactions between HSC and their bone marrow (BM) stromal cells (BMSC) via CXCL12/CXCR4 maintain HSC in a quiescence non-motile state, protecting them from 5-FU chemotherapy insult (Sugiyama, Immunity, 2006). Surface CXCL12 expression by BMSC is dependent on connexin-43 (Cx43) gap junctions mediated cell contact (Schajnovitz, Nat. Immunol., 2011) and BM hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC) survive and eliminate excess ROS levels post 5-FU chemotherapy treatment, by transferring ROS to BMSC in a Cx43 dependent manner (Taniguchi, PNAS 2012).Here, we report that ROS content of BM HSPC inversely correlates with ROS levels in adjacent BMSC. Administration of the pro inflammatory cytokine G-CSF results in decreased HSPC Cx43 expression, elevated ROS levels and increased glucose uptake. Conversely, in the BM stromal microenvironment, G-CSF administration generated lower ROS level and reduced glucose uptake. Up-regulation of BM Sphingosine 1-Phosphate (S1P), a downstream target of G-CSF required for ROS production in HSPC, reduced stromal ROS content and proliferation. Accordingly, mice with reduced BM S1P levels (S1Plow) have lower BM content of HSPC, accompanied by reduced ROS, glucose uptake and lactate production in these cells. More importantly, BM from S1Plow mice has a 3 fold increased frequency of primitive ROSlow/ EPCR+ long-term repopulating cells, as evident by immunophenotypic analysis and long-term competitive repopulation assays. Concomitantly, S1Plow mice have increased content of BMSC with higher ROS levels and glucose uptake, leading to higher BM content of colony-forming unit fibroblasts. Our results reveal a dynamic and inverse metabolic relationship between BM HSC and the stroma microenvironment. We hypothesized that the opposite metabolic state of HSPC and BMSC is due to mitochondrial transfer between the two populations. Therefore, we created chimeric mice by transplanting mitochondria labeled GFP (mito-GFP) HSPC to wild type (WT) mice and detected 88% of the host BMSC to contain donor-derived mitochondria, indicating the existence of mitochondria transfer from hematopoietic cells to BMSC in vivo. This transfer is bidirectional, albeit at a lesser degree, as determined in reverse chimeric mice where up to 26% of the donor-derived HSPCs acquired recipient mitochondria. Mitochondrial transfer can be recapitulated also in vitro in an overnight co-culture system of mito-GFP HSPC and primary BMSC, resulting in mitochondrial transfer and increased ROS content in a subpopulation of osteogenic BM PDGFRα+/ Sca-1-/CD48dim stromal cells. Mitochondrial transfer is cell contact dependent and mediated by Cx43 gap junctions. In vitro co-culture of mito-GFPHSPC from Cx43 deficient (KO) mice with WT or Cx43 KO BMSC reduced 50% mitochondrial transfer to PDGFRα+/Sca-1-/CD48dim stromal cells. Contrarily, the mitochondrial transfer from WT HSPC to Cx43 KO stromal cells was not affected, revealing that Cx43 expression on HSPC, but not on BM stromal cells, is specifically required for mitochondrial transfer. Interestingly, in vitro inhibition of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a crucial metabolic regulator, dramatically increased mitochondrial transfer from HSPC to BMSC. Administration of the AMPK inhibitor BML in vivo increased ROS content of PDGFRα+/Sca-1- BMSC while decreasing it in HSPC, further suggesting that AMPK inhibition regulates mitochondrial transfer and ROS production. Our results imply that mitochondria are scavenged by the BM osteogenic microenvironment to prevent excessive ROS levels in the HSC pool and in parallel to activate bone formation. Altogether, we have discovered a dynamic, inverse metabolic state between BM HSPC and their supporting stromal microenvironment during quiescence, proliferationand differentiation of these two populations. Thus, blood cell production and bone generation take place at the expense of the other. This metabolic seesaw is mediated by mitochondrial transfer from HSPC to osteogenic BM stroma in a HSPC Cx43 gap-junction dependent manner and regulated through AMPK signaling. DisclosuresNo relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

C/EBPβ Isoforms Distinctively and Collaboratively Regulate the Behavior of Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells in Regenerative Conditions

CCAAT Enhancer Binding Protein b (C/EBPb) is a leucine zipper type transcription factor. While C/EBPa plays a critical role in maintaining steady-state granulopoiesis, C/EBPb is required for stress-induced granulopoiesis (Hirai et al., 2006). We have been focusing on the functions of C/EBPb in the regulation of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) especially under stressed conditions. Last year in this meeting, we have shown that 1) C/EBPb was upregulated at protein level in HSPCs after hematopoietic stresses, 2) C/EBPb was required for initial expansion of HSPCs after transplantation, and 3) C/EBPb promoted exhaustion of HSPCs under repetitive hematopoietic stresses (56th ASH, abstract #67850). Here, we further investigated the significance of C/EBPb in cell cycle regulation of HSPCs and the distinct roles of C/EBPb isoforms in HSPCs during regenerative conditions.To clarify the involvement of C/EBPb in cell cycle regulation of HSPCs, we compared the cell cycle status of wild-type (WT) and Cebpb knockout (KO) HSPCs by intracellular Ki67 staining and short-term BrdU incorporation assay in combination with multi-color flow cytometric analysis. In order to exclude the difference in the bone marrow microenvironment, CD45.2+ WT or Cebpb KO bone marrow (BM) cells were transplanted into lethally irradiated CD45.1+ WT mice. At steady state (12 weeks after the BM transplantation), the cell cycle status of Cebpb KO HSPCs was identical to that of WT HSPCs. Then cell cycle status of HSPCs was assessed at various time points during regeneration after intraperitoneal administration of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU, 150mg/kg). We found that significantly more Cebpb KO HSPCs remained in the G0 phase than WT HSPCs (in LT-HSCs on days 3-10; in MPPs on days 6-12). Significantly less Cebpb KO HSPCs were BrdU+ and were in the S/G2/M phase on day 7. These findings suggest that C/EBPb, in a cell-intrinsic manner, facilitates cell cycle entry, progression and consequent earlier expansion of HSPCs in response to hematopoietic stresses.Next, we investigated the distinct roles of C/EBPb isoforms in regulation of HSPCs. C/EBPb is a unique single exon gene and utilization of three different initiating codons result in three distinct isoforms. Liver-enriched activating protein* (LAP*) and LAP are the longer isoforms containing transactivating domains, DNA binding and dimerization domains, and liver-enriched inhibitory protein (LIP) is the shortest isoform which lacks the transactivating domains. In order to examine the expression pattern of C/EBPb isoforms in vivo in scarce populations of regenerating HSPCs, we developed a novel flow cytometric method to distinguish the cells predominantly expressing shorter isoform (LIP) from the cells expressing both LIP and the longer isoforms (LAP* and LAP) by intracellular double staining. Using this method, we found that predominantly LIP-expressing cells transiently emerged within MPP fraction in the regenerating bone marrow (on days 5-6 after administration of 5-FU, Figure below), while overall C/EBPb expression levels were significantly upregulated in most cells.To examine the roles of respective C/EBPb isoforms in regulation of HSPCs, EML cells, a murine hematopoietic stem cell line, were retrovirally transduced with one of the C/EBPb isoforms and the transduced cells were subjected to further analysis (vectors are kind gifts from Dr Watanabe-Okouchi N and Dr Kurokawa M, Tokyo Univ). LIP-expressing EML cells were more proliferative and actively cycling than EML cells transduced with a control vector, whereas the proliferation of LAP*- or LAP-expressing cells were markedly suppressed. LIP-expressing cells remained undifferentiated status (c-kithigh CD11b-) for more than 2 weeks, while LAP*- or LAP-expressing cells rapidly differentiated into c-kitlow CD11b+ myeloid cells and eventually exhausted within a week. These results indicate LIP plays quite distinct roles from LAP* and LAP in regulation of HSPCs.Collectively, our data suggest that C/EBPb isoforms distinctively and collaboratively regulate HSPCs in regenerative conditions: early transient elevation of LIP contributes to cell cycle activation and rapid expansion of HSPC population, which is in turn converted into supply of mature myeloid cells by more abundant upregulation of LAP* and LAP. [Display omitted] DisclosuresNo relevant conflicts of interest to declare.