Project description:De novo ASXL1 mutations are found in patients with Bohring-Opitz syndrome, a disease with severe developmental defects and early childhood fatality. The underlying pathologic mechanisms remain largely unknown. Using Asxl1-targeted murine models,we found that Asxl1 global loss or conditional deletion in osteoblasts and their progenitors in mice leads to significant bone loss and markedly decreased numbers of marrow mesenchymal stem/progenitor cells (MSPCs) compared with wild-type (WT) littermates. Asxl1-/- MSPCs displayed impaired self-renewal and skewed differentiation-away from osteoblasts and favoring adipocytes. RNA-seq analysis reveals the altered expression of genes involved in cell proliferation, skeletal development and morphogenesis. Furthermore, gene set enrichment analysis showed a decreased gene expression of stem cell self-renewal signature,suggesting the role of Asxl1 in regulating the stemness of MSPCs. Importantly, introducing Asxl1 normalized NANOG and OCT4 expression and restored the self-renewal capacity of Asxl1-/- MSPCs. Our study unveils a pivotal role of ASXL1 in maintenance of MSPC functions and skeletal development. Examination of mRNA profiles in wild type and Asxl1-/- MSPCs by deep sequencing
Project description:De novo ASXL1 mutations are found in patients with Bohring-Opitz syndrome (BOS), a disease with severe developmental defects and early childhood fatality. The underlying pathologic mechanisms remain largely unknown. Using Asxl1-targeted murine models, we found that Asxl1 global loss or conditional deletion in osteoblasts and their progenitors in mice leads to significant bone loss and markedly decreased numbers of marrow mesenchymal stem/progenitor cells (MSPCs) compared with wild-type (WT) littermates. Asxl1 null MSPCs display impaired self-renewal and skewed differentiation from osteoblasts towards adipocytes. ChIP-seq data identified that ASXL1 and H3K4me3 co-occupy the promoter regions of genes critical for MSPC self-renewal. Loss of Asxl1 diminished the genome enrichment of H3K4me3. Combined analysis of RNA-seq and ChIP-seq data revealed that Asxl1 loss in MSPCs altered the expression of ASXL1/H3K4me3 target genes controlling self-renewal/lineage commitment. Our study unveil a pivotal role of ASXL1 in H3K4me3-associated bone homeostasis
Project description:De novo ASXL1 mutations are found in patients with Bohring-Opitz syndrome, a disease with severe developmental defects and early childhood fatality. The underlying pathologic mechanisms remain largely unknown. Using Asxl1-targeted murine models,we found that Asxl1 global loss or conditional deletion in osteoblasts and their progenitors in mice leads to significant bone loss and markedly decreased numbers of marrow mesenchymal stem/progenitor cells (MSPCs) compared with wild-type (WT) littermates. Asxl1-/- MSPCs displayed impaired self-renewal and skewed differentiation-away from osteoblasts and favoring adipocytes. RNA-seq analysis reveals the altered expression of genes involved in cell proliferation, skeletal development and morphogenesis. Furthermore, gene set enrichment analysis showed a decreased gene expression of stem cell self-renewal signature,suggesting the role of Asxl1 in regulating the stemness of MSPCs. Importantly, introducing Asxl1 normalized NANOG and OCT4 expression and restored the self-renewal capacity of Asxl1-/- MSPCs. Our study unveils a pivotal role of ASXL1 in maintenance of MSPC functions and skeletal development.
Project description:Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) primarily reside in the bone marrow where signals generated by stromal cells regulate their self-renewal, proliferation, and trafficking. Endosteal osteoblasts and perivascular stromal cells including endothelial cells3, CXCL12-abundant reticular (CAR) cells, leptin-receptor positive stromal cells, and nestin-GFP positive mesenchymal progenitors have all been implicated in HSC maintenance. However, it is unclear if specific hematopoietic progenitor cell (HPC) subsets reside in distinct niches defined by the surrounding stromal cells and the regulatory molecules they produce. CXCL12 (stromal-derived factor-1, SDF-1) regulates both HSCs and lymphoid progenitors and is expressed by all of these stromal cell populations. Here, we selectively deleted Cxcl12 from candidate niche stromal cell populations and characterized the effect on HPCs. Deletion of Cxcl12 from mineralizing osteoblasts has no effect on HSCs or lymphoid progenitors. Deletion of Cxcl12 from osterix-expressing stromal cells, which includes CAR cells and osteoblasts, results in constitutive HPC mobilization and a loss of B lymphoid progenitors, but HSC function is normal. Cxcl12 deletion in endothelial cells results in a modest loss of long-term repopulating activity. Strikingly, deletion of Cxcl12 in nestin-negative mesenchymal progenitors using Prx1-Cre is associated with a marked loss of HSCs, long-term repopulating activity, HSC quiescence, and common lymphoid progenitors. These data suggest that osterix-expressing stromal cells comprise a distinct niche that supports B lymphoid progenitors and retains HPC in the bone marrow, while expression of CXCL12 from stromal cells in the perivascular region, including endothelial cells and mesenchymal progenitors, support HSCs. Total of three samples of two groups analyzed. Replica samples of CXCL12-abundant reticular (CAR) cells from two CXCL12-GFP knock-in mice and a combined sample of PDGFRa+ Sca+ CD45- lineage- cells from three Prx1-Cre Rosa26Ai9/+ Cxcl12gfp/+ mice were used and analyzed.
Project description:The global gene expression profiles of human umbilical cord blood and adult bone marrow CD34+CD33-CD38-Rho(lo)c-kit+ cells, enriched for hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSC) with CD34+CD33-CD38-Rho(hi) cells, enriched in committed hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPC), were compared to identify candidate regulators of HSC self-renewal versus differentiation fate decisions.
Project description:The Notch pathway regulates cell-fate decisions in a wide variety of cell types, often inhibiting particular differentiation programs and permitting either self-renewal or differentiation along alternate pathways. Notch receptors and Notch ligands have been found on hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) or marrow stromal cells. In the present study, through a microarray approach, we analyzed the gene expression variations from cultured murine HSC with or without a Notch ligand Delta4 at 6 hours, 12 hours and 24 hours after the induction of the Notch pathway. 13 samples against a common reference. two dye swap for each condition.
Project description:The gene expression of bone marrow cells of mice enriched for Gremlin1 vs control was measured (n=3). It is not known if endogenous adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) exist.Following culture,perisinusoidal mesenchymal cells can clonally recapitulate the skeletal microenvironment, but this fails to confirm their endogenous lineage repertoire. Multipotential MSCs in vitro may be fate-restricted in vivo and specific perisinusoidal recombination does not trace bone or cartilage Reconciling in vitro MSCs with their in vivo potential has been challenging and remains untested outside of the bone. We prove that expression of the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-antagonist gremlin 1 (Grem1) identifies a population of self-renewing, multipotent bone, cartilage and stromal-primed MSCs in both health and healing that are completely distinct from the established Nes-GFP niche-supporting mesenchymal cells. Grem1 recombination also identifies small intestinal MSCs (siMSCs) that can be transplanted and clonally trace the self-renewing, multilineage periepithelial mesenchymal sheath. Our findings prove the existence of adult MSCs that are regionally and functionally distinct from perisinusoidal Nes-GFP cells. We also established that the mesenchyme undergoes ordered turnover outside of the bone and may help to preserve regional niches. Grem1 MSCs provide a new focus for investigating mesenchymal renewal and repair. a.Adult (6-8 weeks) Grem1;TdTomato mice were induced by oral tamoxifen and their bone marrow harvested by digestion sorted for Non-recombined CD45/CD31/Ter-119 triple negative bone marrow cells (n=3). b.Adult (6-8 weeks) Grem1;TdTomato mice were induced by oral tamoxifen and their bone marrow harvested by digestion sorted for Grem1 (n=3). Same mice as in a so that samples are matched.
Project description:The bone marrow microenvironment is a critical regulator of hematopoietic stem cell self-renewal and fate. While it is appreciated that aging, chronic inflammation and other insults compromise bone marrow function and thereby negatively affect hematopoiesis, it is not known whether different bone compartments exhibit distinct microenvironmental properties and functional resilience. Here, we have employed imaging, pharmacological approaches, and mouse genetics to uncover specialized and highly surprising properties of bone marrow in adult and aging skull. Specifically, we show that the skull bone marrow undergoes lifelong expansion involving vascular growth, which results in an increasing contribution to total hematopoietic output. Furthermore, skull is largely protected against major hallmarks of aging, including upregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines, adipogenesis and loss of vascular integrity. Striking dynamic and rapid changes to the skull vasculature and bone marrow are induced by physiological alterations, namely pregnancy, but also pathological challenges, such as stroke and experimental chronic myeloid leukemia. These responses are highly distinct from femur, the most extensively studied bone marrow compartment. We propose that skull harbors a protected and dynamically expanding bone marrow microenvironment, which is relevant for experimental studies but, potentially, also clinical treatments in humans.