Angptl4 is upregulated under inflammatory conditions in the bone marrow of mice, expands myeloid progenitors, and accelerates reconstitution of platelets after myelosuppressive therapy

BACKGROUND: Upon inflammation, myeloid cell generation in the bone marrow (BM) is broadly enhanced by the action of induced cytokines which are produced locally and at multiple sites throughout the body. METHODS: Using microarray studies, we found that Angptl4 is upregulated in the BM during systemic inflammation. RESULTS: Recombinant murine Angptl4 (rmAngptl4) stimulated the proliferation of myeloid colony-forming units (CFUs) in vitro. Upon repeated in vivo injections, rmAngptl4 increased BM progenitor cell frequency and this was paralleled by a relative increase in phenotypically defined granulocyte-macrophage progenitors (GMPs). Furthermore, in vivo treatment with rmAngptl4 resulted in elevated platelet counts in steady-state mice while allowing a significant acceleration of reconstitution of platelets after myelosuppressive therapy. The administration of rmAngptl4 increased the number of CD61(+)CD41(low)-expressing megakaryocytes (MK) in the BM of steady-state and in the spleen of transplanted mice. Furthermore, rmAngptl4 improved the in vitro differentiation of immature MKs from hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. Mechanistically, using a signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) reporter knockin model, we show that rmAngptl4 induces de novo STAT3 expression in immature MK which could be important for the effective expansion of MKs after myelosuppressive therapy. CONCLUSION: Whereas the definitive role of Angptl4 in mediating the effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on the BM has to be demonstrated by further studies involving multiple cytokine knockouts, our data suggest that Angptl4 plays a critical role during hematopoietic, especially megakaryopoietic, reconstitution following stem cell transplantation. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13045-015-0152-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users