The Expanding Family of Bone Marrow Homing Factors for Hematopoietic Stem Cells: Stromal Derived Factor 1 Is Not the Only Player in the Game

The α-chemokine stromal derived factor 1 (SDF-1), which binds to the CXCR4 and CXCR7 receptors, directs migration and homing of CXCR4+ hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) to bone marrow (BM) and plays a crucial role in retention of these cells in stem cell niches. However, this unique role of SDF-1 has been recently challenged by several observations supporting SDF-1-CXCR4-independent BM homing. Specifically, it has been demonstrated that HSPCs respond robustly to some bioactive lipids, such as sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) and ceramide-1-phosphate (C1P), and migrate in response to gradients of certain extracellular nucleotides, including uridine triphosphate (UTP) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Moreover, the responsiveness of HSPCs to an SDF-1 gradient is enhanced by some elements of innate immunity (e.g., C3 complement cascade cleavage fragments and antimicrobial cationic peptides, such as cathelicidin/LL-37 or β2-defensin) as well as prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Since all these factors are upregulated in BM after myeloblative conditioning for transplantation, a more complex picture of homing emerges that involves several factors supporting, and in some situations even replacing, the SDF-1-CXCR4 axis

Heterogeneous populations of bone marrow stem cells--are we spotting on the same cells from the different angles?

Accumulated evidence suggests that in addition to hematopoietic stem cells (HSC), bone marrow (BM) also harbors endothelial stem cells (ESC), mesenchymal stem cells (MSC), multipotential adult progenitor cells (MAPC), pluripotent stem cells (PCS) as well as tissue committed stem cells (TCSC) recently identified by us. In this review we discuss the similarities and differences between these cell populations. Furthermore, we will present the hypothesis that all of these versatile BM derived stem cells are in fact different subpopulations of TCSC. These cells accumulate in bone marrow during ontogenesis and being a mobile population of cells are released from BM into peripheral blood after tissue injury to regenerate damaged organs. Furthermore, since BM is a "hideout" for TCSC, their presence in preparations of bone marrow derived mononuclear cells should be considered before experimental evidence is interpreted simply as trans-differentiation or plasticity of HSC. Finally, our observation that the number of TCSC accumulate in the bone marrow of young animals and their numbers decrease during senescence provides a new insight into aging and may explain why the regeneration processes becomes less effective in older individuals

Heterogeneous populations of bone marrow stem cells : are we spotting on the same cells from the different angles?

Accumulated evidence suggests that in addition to hematopoietic stem cells (HSC), bone marrow (BM) also harbors endothelial stem cells (ESC), mesenchymal stem cells (MSC), multipotential adult progenitor cells (MAPC), pluripotent stem cells (PCS) as well as tissue committed stem cells (TCSC) recently identified by us. In this review we discuss the similarities and differences between these cell populations. Furthermore, we will present the hypothesis that all of these versatile BM derived stem cells are in fact different subpopulations of TCSC. These cells accumulate in bone marrow during ontogenesis and being a mobile population of cells are released from BM into peripheral blood after tissue injury to regenerate damaged organs. Furthermore, since BM is a "hideout" for TCSC, their presence in preparations of bone marrow derived mononuclear cells should be considered before experimental evidence is interpreted simply as trans-differentiation or plasticity of HSC. Finally, our observation that the number of TCSC accumulate in the bone marrow of young animals and their numbers decrease during senescence provides a new insight into aging and may explain why the regeneration processes becomes less effective in older individuals

Mobilization of Hematopoietic Stem Cells as a Result of Innate Immunity-Mediated Sterile Inflammation in the Bone Marrow Microenvironment—The Involvement of Extracellular Nucleotides and Purinergic Signaling

Hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) circulate in peripheral blood (PB) under normal conditions and their number increases in response to stress, inflammation, tissue/organ injury, and may increase up to 100-fold after administration of mobilization-inducing drugs. Mounting evidence suggests that mobilizing agent-induced mobilization of HSPCs from bone marrow into PB is a result of innate immunity-mediated sterile inflammation in the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment. A critical initiating role in this process is played by tissue/organ injury-mediated or pharmacologically induced release from bone marrow-residing granulocytes and monocytes of (i) danger-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), (ii) reactive oxygen species (ROS), and (iii) proteolytic and lipolytic enzymes. All these factors together trigger activation of the complement and coagulation cascades, both of which orchestrate egress of HSPCs into BM sinusoids and lymphatics. Recent evidence also indicates that, in addition to attenuation of the SDF-1–CXCR4 and VLA-4–VCAM-1 retention axes in the BM microenvironment and the presence of a mobilization-directing phosphosphingolipid gradient in PB, an important role in the mobilization process is played by extracellular nucleotides and purinergic signaling. In particular, a new finding by our laboratory is that, while extracellular ATP promotes mobilization of HSPCs, its derivative, adenosine, has the opposite (inhibitory) effect

Sphingosine-1-Phosphate-Mediated Mobilization of Hematopoietic Stem/Progenitor Cells During Intravascular Hemolysis Requires Attenuation of SDF-1-CXCR4 Retention Signaling in Bone Marrow

Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is a crucial chemotactic factor in peripheral blood (PB) involved in the mobilization process and egress of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) from bone marrow (BM). Since S1P is present at high levels in erythrocytes, one might assume that, by increasing the plasma S1P level, the hemolysis of red blood cells would induce mobilization of HSPCs. To test this assumption, we induced hemolysis in mice by employing phenylhydrazine (PHZ). We observed that doubling the S1P level in PB from damaged erythrocytes induced only a marginally increased level of mobilization. However, if mice were exposed to PHZ together with the CXCR4 blocking agent, AMD3100, a robust synergistic increase in the number of mobilized HSPCs occurred. We conclude that hemolysis, even if it significantly elevates the S1P level in PB, also requires attenuation of the CXCR4-SDF-1 axis-mediated retention in BM niches for HSPC mobilization to occur. Our data also further confirm that S1P is a major chemottractant present in plasma and chemoattracts HSPCs into PB under steady-state conditions. However, to egress from BM, HSPCs first have to be released from BM niches by blocking the SDF-1-CXCR4 retention signal

Rhabdomyosarcoma cells show an energy producing anabolic metabolic phenotype compared with primary myocytes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The functional status of a cell is expressed in its metabolic activity. We have applied stable isotope tracing methods to determine the differences in metabolic pathways in proliferating Rhabdomysarcoma cells (Rh30) and human primary myocytes in culture. Uniformly ¹³C-labeled glucose was used as a source molecule to follow the incorporation of ¹³C into more than 40 marker metabolites using NMR and GC-MS. These include metabolites that report on the activity of glycolysis, Krebs' cycle, pentose phosphate pathway and pyrimidine biosynthesis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The Rh30 cells proliferated faster than the myocytes. Major differences in flux through glycolysis were evident from incorporation of label into secreted lactate, which accounts for a substantial fraction of the glucose carbon utilized by the cells. Krebs' cycle activity as determined by ¹³C isotopomer distributions in glutamate, aspartate, malate and pyrimidine rings was considerably higher in the cancer cells than in the primary myocytes. Large differences were also evident in de novo biosynthesis of riboses in the free nucleotide pools, as well as entry of glucose carbon into the pyrimidine rings in the free nucleotide pool. Specific labeling patterns in these metabolites show the increased importance of anaplerotic reactions in the cancer cells to maintain the high demand for anabolic and energy metabolism compared with the slower growing primary myocytes. Serum-stimulated Rh30 cells showed higher degrees of labeling than serum starved cells, but they retained their characteristic anabolic metabolism profile. The myocytes showed evidence of de novo synthesis of glycogen, which was absent in the Rh30 cells.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The specific ¹³C isotopomer patterns showed that the major difference between the transformed and the primary cells is the shift from energy and maintenance metabolism in the myocytes toward increased energy and anabolic metabolism for proliferation in the Rh30 cells. The data further show that the mitochondria remain functional in Krebs' cycle activity and respiratory electron transfer that enables continued accelerated glycolysis. This may be a common adaptive strategy in cancer cells.</p

Evidence for the Involvement of Sphingosine-1-Phosphate in the Homing and Engraftment of Hematopoietic Stem Cells to Bone Marrow

The α-chemokine stromal-derived factor 1 (SDF-1), which binds to the CXCR4 receptor, directs migration and homing of CXCR4+ hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) to bone marrow (BM) stem cell niches. Nevertheless, it is also known that CXCR4-/- fetal liver-derived hematopoietic stem cells engraft into BM and that blockade of CXCR4 by its antagonist AMD3100 does not prevent engraftment of HSPCs. Because of this finding of SDF-1-CXCR4-independent BM homing, the unique role of SDF-1 in HSPC homing has recently been challenged. While SDF-1 is the only chemokine that chemoattracts HSPCs, other chemoattractants for these cells have recently been described, including the bioactive phosphosphingolipid sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P). To address the potential role of S1P in homing of HSPCs to BM, we performed hematopoietic transplants into mice deficient in BM-expressed sphingosine kinase 1 (Sphk1-/-) using hematopoietic cells from normal control mice as well as cells from mice in which floxed CXCR4 (CXCR4fl/fl) was conditionally deleted. We observed the presence of a homing and engraftment defect in HSPCs of Sphk1-/- mice that was particularly profound after transplantation of CXCR4-/- BM cells. Thus, our results indicate that BM-microenvironment-expressed S1P plays a role in homing of HSPCs. They also support the concept that, in addition to the SDF-1-CXCR4 axis, other chemotactic axes are also involved in homing and engraftment of HSPCs

Novel Evidence That Extracellular Nucleotides and Purinergic Signaling Induce Innate Immunity-Mediated Mobilization of Hematopoietic Stem/Progenitor Cells

Pharmacological mobilization of hematopoietic stem progenitor cells (HSPCs) from bone marrow (BM) into peripheral blood (PB) is a result of mobilizing agent-induced “sterile inflammation” in the BM microenvironment due to complement cascade (ComC) activation. Here we provide evidence that ATP, as an extracellular nucleotide secreted in a pannexin-1-dependent manner from BM cells, triggers activation of the ComC and initiates the mobilization process. This process is augmented in a P2X7 receptor-dependent manner, and P2X7-KO mice are poor mobilizers. Furthermore, after its release into the extracellular space, ATP is processed by ectonucleotidases: CD39 converts ATP to AMP, and CD73 converts AMP to adenosine. We observed that CD73-deficient mice mobilize more HSPCs than do wild-type mice due to a decrease in adenosine concentration in the extracellular space, indicating a negative role for adenosine in the mobilization process. This finding has been confirmed by injecting mice with adenosine along with pro-mobilizing agents. In sum, we demonstrate for the first time that purinergic signaling involving ATP and its metabolite adenosine regulate the mobilization of HSPCs. Although ATP triggers and promotes this process, adenosine has an inhibitory effect. Thus, administration of ATP together with G-CSF or AMD3100 or inhibition of CD73 by small molecule antagonists may provide the basis for more efficient mobilization strategies