Alice B. Salter

Pleiotrophin regulates the expansion and regeneration of hematopoietic stem cells

Hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) self-renewal is regulated by both intrinsic and extrinsic signals. Although some of the pathways that regulate HSC self-renewal have been uncovered, it remains largely unknown whether these pathways can be triggered by deliverable growth factors to induce HSC growth or regeneration. Here we show that pleiotrophin, a neurite outgrowth factor with no known function in hematopoiesis, efficiently promotes HSC expansion in vitro and HSC regeneration in vivo. Treatment of mouse bone marrow HSCs with pleiotrophin caused a marked increase in long-term repopulating HSC numbers in culture, as measured in competitive repopulating assays. Treatment of human cord blood CD34+CDCD38−Lin− cells with pleiotrophin also substantially increased severe combined immunodeficient (SCID)-repopulating cell counts in culture, compared to input and cytokine-treated cultures. Systemic administration of pleiotrophin to irradiated mice caused a pronounced expansion of bone marrow stem and progenitor cells in vivo, indicating that pleiotrophin is a regenerative growth factor for HSCs. Mechanistically, pleiotrophin activated phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling in HSCs; antagonism of PI3K or Notch signaling inhibited pleiotrophin-mediated expansion of HSCs in culture. We identify the secreted growth factor pleiotrophin as a new regulator of both HSC expansion and regeneration.

Endothelial progenitor cell infusion induces hematopoietic stem cell reconstitution in vivo

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) reside in association with bone marrow (BM) sinusoidal vessels in vivo, but the function of BM endothelial cells (ECs) in regulating hematopoiesis is unclear. We hypothesized that hematopoietic regeneration following injury is regulated by BM ECs. BALB/c mice were treated with total body irradiation (TBI) and then infused with C57Bl6-derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) to augment endogenous BM EC activity. TBI caused pronounced disruption of the BM vasculature, BM hypocellularity, ablation of HSCs, and pancytopenia in control mice, whereas irradiated, EPC-treated mice displayed accelerated recovery of BM sinusoidal vessels, BM cellularity, peripheral blood white blood cells (WBCs), neutrophils, and platelets, and a 4.4-fold increase in BM HSCs. Systemic administration of anti-VE-cadherin antibody significantly delayed hematologic recovery in both EPC-treated mice and irradiated, non-EPC-treated mice compared with irradiated controls. These data demonstrate that allogeneic EPC infusions can augment hematopoiesis and suggest a relationship between BM microvascular recovery and hematopoietic reconstitution in vivo.

Gene expression signatures of radiation response are specific, durable and accurate in mice and humans.

Background Previous work has demonstrated the potential for peripheral blood (PB) gene expression profiling for the detection of disease or environmental exposures. Methods and Findings We have sought to determine the impact of several variables on the PB gene expression profile of an environmental exposure, ionizing radiation, and to determine the specificity of the PB signature of radiation versus other genotoxic stresses. Neither genotype differences nor the time of PB sampling caused any lessening of the accuracy of PB signatures to predict radiation exposure, but sex difference did influence the accuracy of the prediction of radiation exposure at the lowest level (50 cGy). A PB signature of sepsis was also generated and both the PB signature of radiation and the PB signature of sepsis were found to be 100% specific at distinguishing irradiated from septic animals. We also identified human PB signatures of radiation exposure and chemotherapy treatment which distinguished irradiated patients and chemotherapy-treated individuals within a heterogeneous population with accuracies of 90% and 81%, respectively. Conclusions We conclude that PB gene expression profiles can be identified in mice and humans that are accurate in predicting medical conditions, are specific to each condition and remain highly accurate over time.

Inhibition of Aldehyde Dehydrogenase Expands Hematopoietic Stem Cells with Radioprotective Capacity

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are enriched for aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity and ALDH is a selectable marker for human HSCs. However, the function of ALDH in HSC biology is not well understood. We sought to determine the function of ALDH in regulating HSC fate. Pharmacologic inhibition of ALDH with diethylaminobenzaldehyde (DEAB) impeded the differentiation of murine CD34−c‐kit+Sca‐1+lineage− (34−KSL) HSCs in culture and facilitated a ninefold expansion of cells capable of radioprotecting lethally irradiated mice compared to input 34−KSL cells. Treatment of bone marrow (BM) 34−KSL cells with DEAB caused a fourfold increase in 4‐week competitive repopulating units, verifying the amplification of short‐term HSCs (ST‐HSCs) in response to ALDH inhibition. Targeted siRNA of ALDH1a1 in BM HSCs caused a comparable expansion of radioprotective progenitor cells in culture compared to DEAB treatment, confirming that ALDH1a1 was the target of DEAB inhibition. The addition of all trans retinoic acid blocked DEAB‐mediated expansion of ST‐HSCs in culture, suggesting that ALDH1a1 regulates HSC differentiation via augmentation of retinoid signaling. Pharmacologic inhibition of ALDH has therapeutic potential as a means to amplify ST‐HSCs for transplantation purposes. STEM CELLS 2010;28:523–534

Pharmacological Manipulation of the RAR/RXR Signaling Pathway Maintains the Repopulating Capacity of Hematopoietic Stem Cells in Culture

The retinoid X receptor (RXR) contributes to the regulation of diverse biological pathways via its role as a heterodimeric partner of several nuclear receptors. However, RXR has no established role in the regulation of hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) fate. In this study, we sought to determine whether direct modulation of RXR signaling could impact human HSC self-renewal or differentiation. Treatment of human CD34(+)CD38(-)lin(-) cells with LG1506, a selective RXR modulator, inhibited the differentiation of HSCs in culture and maintained long-term repopulating HSCs in culture that were otherwise lost in response to cytokine treatment. Further studies revealed that LG1506 had a distinct mechanism of action in that it facilitated the recruitment of corepressors to the retinoic acid receptor (RAR)/RXR complex at target gene promoters, suggesting that this molecule was functioning as an inverse agonist in the context of this heterodimer. Interestingly, using combinatorial peptide phage display, we identified unique surfaces presented on RXR when occupied by LG1506 and demonstrated that other modulators that exhibited these properties functioned similarly at both a mechanistic and biological level. These data indicate that the RAR/RXR heterodimer is a critical regulator of human HSC differentiation, and pharmacological modulation of RXR signaling prevents the loss of human HSCs that otherwise occurs in short-term culture.