Publication

Blood 119, 1, 83-94 (2012)
Integrin-αvβ3 regulates thrombopoietin-mediated maintenance of hematopoietic stem cells

Author

Umemoto T, Yamato M, Ishihara J, Shiratsuchi Y, Utsumi M, Morita Y, Tsukui H, Terasawa M, Shibata T, Nishida K, Kobayashi Y, Petrich BG, Nakauchi H, Eto K, Okano T

Keyword

integrins, signal transduction, thrombopoietin, hematopoietic stem cells

Category

Journal

Abstract

Throughout life, one's blood supply depends on sustained division of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) for self-renewal and differentiation. Within the bone marrow microenvironment, an adhesion-dependent or -independent niche system regulates HSC function. Here we show that a novel adhesion-dependent mechanism via integrin-β3 signaling contributes to HSC maintenance. Specific ligation of β3-integrin on HSCs using an antibody or extracellular matrix protein prevented loss of long-term repopulating (LTR) activity during ex vivo culture. The actions required activation of αvβ3-integrin “inside-out” signaling, which is dependent on thrombopoietin (TPO), an essential cytokine for activation of dormant HSCs. Subsequent “outside-in” signaling via phosphorylation of Tyr747 in the β3-subunit cytoplasmic domain was indispensable for TPO-dependent, but not stem cell factor-dependent, LTR activity in HSCs in vivo. This was accompanied with enhanced expression of Vps72, Mll1, and Runx1, 3 factors known to be critical for maintaining HSC activity. Thus, our findings demonstrate a mechanistic link between β3-integrin and TPO in HSCs, which may contribute to maintenance of LTR activity in vivo as well as during ex vivo culture.