Kras is Required for Adult Hematopoiesis. (28th March 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Damnernsawad, Alisa; Kong, Guangyao; Wen, Zhi; Liu, Yangang; Rajagopalan, Adhithi; You, Xiaona; Wang, Jinyong; Zhou, Yun; Ranheim, Erik A.; Luo, Hongbo R.; Chang, Qiang; Zhang, Jing
• Is Part Of: Stem cells. Volume 34:Number 7(2016:Jul.)
• Page Start: 1859
• Page End: 1871
• Publication Date: 2016-03-28
• Subjects: Kras -- Nras -- Adult hematopoiesis -- Hematopoietic stem cells -- Hematopoietic progenitor cells -- Stem cell self-renewal -- Cytokine signaling; Cloning -- Periodicals; Clone cells -- Periodicals; Stem cells -- Periodicals; Cell Differentiation -- Periodicals; Cell Division -- Periodicals; Clone Cells -- Periodicals; Hematopoietic Stem Cells -- Periodicals; Stem Cells -- Periodicals; 571.84
• DOI: 10.1002/stem.2355
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1066-5099

Abstract

Abstract: Previous studies indicate that Kras is dispensable for fetal liver hematopoiesis, but its role in adult hematopoiesis remains unclear. Here, we generated a Kras conditional knockout allele to address this question. Deletion of Kras in adult bone marrow (BM) is mediated by Vav-Cre or inducible Mx1-Cre. We find that loss of Kras leads to greatly reduced thrombopoietin (TPO) signaling in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and multipotent progenitors (MPPs), while stem cell factor-evoked ERK1/2 activation is not affected. The compromised TPO signaling is associated with reduced long term- and intermediate-term HSC compartments and a bias toward myeloid differentiation in MPPs. Although granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)-evoked ERK1/2 activation is only moderately decreased in Kras -/- myeloid progenitors, it is blunted in neutrophils and neutrophil survival is significantly reduced in vitro. At 9-12 months old, Kras conditional knockout mice develop profound hematopoietic defects, including splenomegaly, an expanded neutrophil compartment, and reduced B cell number. In a serial transplantation assay, the reconstitution potential of Kras -/- BM cells is greatly compromised, which is attributable to defects in the self-renewal of Kras -/- HSCs and defects in differentiated hematopoietic cells. Our results demonstrate that Kras is a major regulator of TPO and GM-CSF signaling in specific populations of hematopoietic cells and its function is required for adult hematopoiesis.