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Preprints

Transcription factor induction of vascular blood stem cell niches in vivo

Hagedorn EJ, Perlin JR, Freeman RJ, Wattrus SJ, Han T, Mao C, Kim JW, Fernández-Maestre I, Daily ML, D’Amato C, Fairchild MJ, Riquelme R, Li B, Ragoonanan DA, Enkhbayar K, Henault EL, Wang HG, Redfield SE, Collins SH, Lichtig A, Yang S, Zhou Y, Kunar B, Gomez-Salinero JM, Dinh TT, Pan J, Holler K, Feldman HA, Butcher EC, van Oudenaarden A, Rafii S, Philipp Junker J, Zon LI.
Preprint from
bioRxiv
4 November 2021
PPR
PPR416039
Abstract
The hematopoietic niche is a supportive microenvironment comprised of distinct cell types, including specialized vascular endothelial cells that directly interact with hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). The molecular factors that specify niche endothelial cells and orchestrate HSPC homeostasis remain largely unknown. Using multi-dimensional gene expression and chromatin accessibility analyses, we define a conserved gene expression signature and cis -regulatory landscape unique to sinusoidal endothelial cells in the HSPC niche. Using enhancer mutagenesis and transcription factor overexpression, we elucidate a transcriptional code involving members of the Ets, Sox and Nuclear Hormone Receptor families that is sufficient to induce ectopic niche endothelial cells that associate with mesenchymal stromal cells and support the recruitment, maintenance and division of HSPCs in vivo . These studies set forth an approach for generating synthetic HSPC niches, in vitro or in vivo , and for effective therapies to modulate the endogenous niche.