PTBP1 promotes hematopoietic stem cell maintenance and red blood cell development by ensuring sufficient availability of ribosomal constituents.

Ribosomopathies constitute a range of disorders associated with defective protein synthesis mainly affecting hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and erythroid development. Here, we demonstrate that deletion of poly-pyrimidine-tract-binding protein 1 (PTBP1) in the hematopoietic compartment leads to the development of a ribosomopathy-like condition. Specifically, loss of PTBP1 is associated with decreases in HSC self-renewal, erythroid differentiation, and protein synthesis. Consistent with its function as a splicing regulator, PTBP1 deficiency results in splicing defects in hundreds of genes, and we demonstrate that the up-regulation of a specific isoform of CDC42 partly mimics the protein-synthesis defect associated with loss of PTBP1. Furthermore, PTBP1 deficiency is associated with a marked defect in ribosome biogenesis and a selective reduction in the translation of mRNAs encoding ribosomal proteins. Collectively, this work identifies PTBP1 as a key integrator of ribosomal functions and highlights the broad functional repertoire of RNA-binding proteins.

Vectorized Treg-depleting αCTLA-4 elicits antigen cross-presentation and CD8+ T cell immunity to reject 'cold' tumors.

BACKGROUND: Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) is a clinically proven concept to treat cancer. Still, a majority of patients with cancer including those with poorly immune infiltrated 'cold' tumors are resistant to currently available ICB therapies. Cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 (CTLA-4) is one of few clinically validated targets for ICB, but toxicities linked to efficacy in approved αCTLA-4 regimens have restricted their use and precluded full therapeutic dosing. At a mechanistic level, accumulating preclinical and clinical data indicate dual mechanisms for αCTLA-4; ICB and regulatory T cell (Treg) depletion are both thought to contribute efficacy and toxicity in available, systemic, αCTLA-4 regimens. Accordingly, strategies to deliver highly effective, yet safe αCTLA-4 therapies have been lacking. Here we assess and identify spatially restricted exposure to a novel strongly Treg-depleting, checkpoint-blocking, vectorized αCTLA-4, as a highly efficacious and potentially safe strategy to target CTLA-4. METHODS: A novel human IgG1 CTLA-4 antibody (4-E03) was identified using function-first screening for monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and targets associated with superior Treg-depleting activity. A tumor-selective oncolytic vaccinia vector was then engineered to encode this novel, strongly Treg-depleting, checkpoint-blocking, αCTLA-4 antibody or a matching surrogate antibody, and Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) (VVGM-αCTLA-4). RESULTS: The identified 4-E03 antibody showed significantly stronger Treg depletion, but equipotent checkpoint blockade, compared with clinically validated αCTLA-4 ipilimumab against CTLA-4-expressing Treg cells in a humanized mouse model in vivo. Intratumoral administration of VVGM-αCTLA-4 achieved tumor-restricted CTLA-4 receptor saturation and Treg depletion, which elicited antigen cross-presentation and stronger systemic expansion of tumor-specific CD8+ T cells and antitumor immunity compared with systemic αCTLA-4 antibody therapy. Efficacy correlated with FcγR-mediated intratumoral Treg depletion. Remarkably, in a clinically relevant mouse model resistant to systemic ICB, intratumoral VVGM-αCTLA-4 synergized with αPD-1 to reject cold tumors. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate in vivo proof of concept for spatial restriction of Treg depletion-optimized immune checkpoint blocking, vectorized αCTLA-4 as a highly effective and safe strategy to target CTLA-4. A clinical trial evaluating intratumoral VVGM-αhCTLA-4 (BT-001) alone and in combination with αPD-1 in metastatic or advanced solid tumors has commenced.

ERG Controls B Cell Development by Promoting Igh V-to-DJ Recombination.

B cell development depends on the coordinated expression and cooperation of several transcription factors. Here we show that the transcription factor ETS-related gene (ERG) is crucial for normal B cell development and that its deletion results in a substantial loss of bone marrow B cell progenitors and peripheral B cells, as well as a skewing of splenic B cell populations. We find that ERG-deficient B lineage cells exhibit an early developmental block at the pre-B cell stage and proliferate less. The cells fail to express the immunoglobulin heavy chain due to inefficient V-to-DJ recombination, and cells that undergo recombination display a strong bias against incorporation of distal V gene segments. Furthermore, antisense transcription at PAX5-activated intergenic repeat (PAIR) elements, located in the distal region of the Igh locus, depends on ERG. These findings show that ERG serves as a critical regulator of B cell development by ensuring efficient and balanced V-to-DJ recombination.

Differences in Cell Cycle Status Underlie Transcriptional Heterogeneity in the HSC Compartment.

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are considered a heterogeneous cell population. To further resolve the HSC compartment, we characterized a retinoic acid (RA) reporter mouse line. Sub-fractionation of the HSC compartment in RA-CFP reporter mice demonstrated that RA-CFP-dim HSCs were largely non-proliferative and displayed superior engraftment potential in comparison with RA-CFP-bright HSCs. Gene expression analysis demonstrated higher expression of RA-target genes in RA-CFP-dim HSCs, in contrast to the RA-CFP reporter expression, but both RA-CFP-dim and RA-CFP-bright HSCs responded efficiently to RA in vitro. Single-cell RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) of >1,200 HSCs showed that differences in cell cycle activity constituted the main driver of transcriptional heterogeneity in HSCs. Moreover, further analysis of the single-cell RNA-seq data revealed that stochastic low-level expression of distinct lineage-affiliated transcriptional programs is a common feature of HSCs. Collectively, this work demonstrates the utility of the RA-CFP reporter line as a tool for the isolation of superior HSCs.

ERG promotes the maintenance of hematopoietic stem cells by restricting their differentiation.

The balance between self-renewal and differentiation is crucial for the maintenance of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Whereas numerous gene regulatory factors have been shown to control HSC self-renewal or drive their differentiation, we have relatively few insights into transcription factors that serve to restrict HSC differentiation. In the present work, we identify ETS (E-twenty-six)-related gene (ERG) as a critical factor protecting HSCs from differentiation. Specifically, loss of Erg accelerates HSC differentiation by >20-fold, thus leading to rapid depletion of immunophenotypic and functional HSCs. Molecularly, we could demonstrate that ERG, in addition to promoting the expression of HSC self-renewal genes, also represses a group of MYC targets, thereby explaining why Erg loss closely mimics Myc overexpression. Consistently, the BET domain inhibitor CPI-203, known to repress Myc expression, confers a partial phenotypic rescue. In summary, ERG plays a critical role in coordinating the balance between self-renewal and differentiation of HSCs.

HIF-1α can act as a tumor suppressor gene in murine acute myeloid leukemia.

Self-renewal of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and leukemia-initiating cells (LICs) has been proposed to be influenced by low oxygen tension (hypoxia). This signaling, related to the cellular localization inside the bone marrow niche and/or influenced by extrinsic factors, promotes the stabilization of hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs). Whether HIF-1α can be used as a therapeutic target in the treatment of myeloid malignancies remains unknown. We have used 3 different murine models to investigate the role of HIF-1α in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) initiation/progression and self-renewal of LICs. Unexpectedly, we failed to observe a delay or prevention of disease development from hematopoietic cells lacking Hif-1α. In contrast, deletion of Hif-1α resulted in faster development of the disease and an enhanced leukemia phenotype in some of the investigated models. Our results therefore warrant reconsideration of the role of HIF-1α and, as a consequence, question its generic therapeutic usefulness in AML.

Hypoxic induction of vascular endothelial growth factor regulates erythropoiesis but not hematopoietic stem cell function in the fetal liver.

Hypoxia is an important factor in the hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) niche in the bone marrow, but whether it also plays a role in the regulation of fetal liver (FL) HSCs is unclear. Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) is essential for adult HSC survival, and hypoxic induction of VEGFA in adult HSCs is required for proper function. Loss of hypoxia-regulated VEGFA expression increases the number of phenotypically defined hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells in the FL, but whether stem cell function is affected in FL HSCs has not, to our knowledge, been assessed. We show that fetal erythropoiesis is severely impaired when hypoxic induction of VEGFA is lacking. FL HSCs deficient for hypoxia-induced VEGFA expression have normal HSC function, arguing against a hypoxic FL HSC niche. However, after adaptation of FL HSCs to the bone marrow microenvironment, FL HSCs lose their function, as measured by serial transplantation.

Hematopoietic stem cells are regulated by Cripto, as an intermediary of HIF-1α in the hypoxic bone marrow niche.

Cripto has been known as an embryonic stem (ES)- or tumor-related soluble/cell membrane protein. In this study, we demonstrated that Cripto has a role as an important regulatory factor for hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Recombinant Cripto sustained the reconstitution ability of HSCs in vitro. Flow cytometry analysis uncovered that GRP78, one of the candidate receptors for Cripto, was expressed on a subset of HSCs and could distinguish dormant/myeloid-biased HSCs and active/lymphoid-biased HSCs. Cripto is expressed in hypoxic endosteal niche cells where GRP78(+) HSCs mainly reside. Proteomics analysis revealed that Cripto-GRP78 binding stimulates glycolytic metabolism-related proteins and results in lower mitochondrial potential in HSCs. Furthermore, conditional knockout mice for HIF-1α, a master regulator of hypoxic responses, showed reduced Cripto expression and decreased GRP78(+) HSCs in the endosteal niche area. Thus, Cripto-GRP78 is a novel HSC regulatory signal mainly working in the hypoxic niche.

Cripto regulates hematopoietic stem cells as a hypoxic-niche-related factor through cell surface receptor GRP78.

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are maintained in hypoxic niches in endosteal regions of bones. Here we demonstrate that Cripto and its receptor GRP78 are important regulators of HSCs in the niche. Flow cytometry analyses revealed two distinct subpopulations of CD34(-)KSL cells based on the expression of GRP78, and these populations showed different reconstitution potential in transplantation assays. GRP78(+)HSCs mainly reside in the endosteal area, are more hypoxic, and exhibit a lower mitochondrial potential, and their HSC capacity was maintained in vitro by Cripto through induction of higher glycolytic activity. Additionally, HIF-1α KO mice have decreased numbers of GRP78(+)HSCs and reduced expression of Cripto in the endosteal niche. Furthermore, blocking GRP78 induced a movement of HSCs from the endosteal to the central marrow area. These data suggest that Cripto/GRP78 signaling is an important pathway that regulates HSC quiescence and maintains HSCs in hypoxia as an intermediary of HIF-1α.

Hypoxic induction of vascular endothelial growth factor regulates murine hematopoietic stem cell function in the low-oxygenic niche.

Hypoxia is emerging as an important characteristic of the hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) niche, but the molecular mechanisms contributing to quiescence, self-renewal, and survival remain elusive. Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) is a key regulator of angiogenesis and hematopoiesis. Its expression is commonly regulated by hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF) that are functionally induced in low-oxygen conditions and that activate transcription by binding to hypoxia-response elements (HRE). Vegfa is indispensable for HSC survival, mediated by a cell-intrinsic, autocrine mechanism. We hypothesized that a hypoxic HSC microenvironment is required for maintenance or up-regulation of Vegfa expression in HSCs and therefore crucial for HSC survival. We have tested this hypothesis in the mouse model Vegfa(δ/δ), where the HRE in the Vegfa promoter is mutated, preventing HIF binding. Vegfa expression was reduced in highly purified HSCs from Vegfa(δ/δ) mice, showing that HSCs reside in hypoxic areas. Loss of hypoxia-regulated Vegfa expression increases the numbers of phenotypically defined hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. However, HSC function was clearly impaired when assessed in competitive transplantation assays. Our data provide further evidence that HSCs reside in a hypoxic microenvironment and demonstrate a novel way in which the hypoxic niche affects HSC fate, via the hypoxia-VEGFA axis.

Hypoxia mediates low cell-cycle activity and increases the proportion of long-term-reconstituting hematopoietic stem cells during in vitro culture.

OBJECTIVE: Recent evidence suggests that hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in the bone marrow (BM) are located in areas where the environment is hypoxic. Although previous studies have demonstrated positive effects by hypoxia, its role in HSC maintenance has not been fully elucidated, neither has the molecular mechanisms been delineated. Here, we have investigated the consequence of in vitro incubation of HSCs in hypoxia prior to transplantation and analyzed the role of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1alpha. MATERIALS AND METHODS: HSC and progenitor populations isolated from mouse BM were cultured in 20% or 1% O(2), and analyzed for effects on cell cycle, expression of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors genes, and reconstituting ability to lethally irradiated mice. The involvement of HIF-1alpha was studied using methods of protein stabilization and gene silencing. RESULTS: When long-term FLT3(-)CD34(-) Lin(-)Sca-1(+)c-Kit(+) (LSK) cells were cultured in hypoxia, cell numbers were significantly reduced in comparison to normoxia. This was due to a decrease in proliferation and more cells accumulating in G(0). Moreover, the proportion of HSCs with long-term engraftment potential was increased. Whereas expression of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor genes p21(cip1), p27(Kip1), and p57(Kip2) increased in LSK cells by hypoxia, only p21(cip1) was upregulated in FLT3(-)CD34(-)LSK cells. We could demonstrate that expression of p27(Kip1) and p57(Kip2) was dependent of HIF-1alpha. Surprisingly, overexpression of constitutively active HIF-1alpha or treatment with the HIF stabilizer agent FG-4497 led to a reduction in HSC reconstituting ability. CONCLUSIONS: Our results imply that hypoxia, in part via HIF-1alpha, maintains HSCs by decreasing proliferation and favoring quiescence.

HIF-2alpha maintains an undifferentiated state in neural crest-like human neuroblastoma tumor-initiating cells.

High hypoxia-inducible factor-2alpha (HIF-2alpha) protein levels predict poor outcome in neuroblastoma, and hypoxia dedifferentiates cultured neuroblastoma cells toward a neural crest-like phenotype. Here, we identify HIF-2alpha as a marker of normoxic neural crest-like neuroblastoma tumor-initiating/stem cells (TICs) isolated from patient bone marrows. Knockdown of HIF-2alpha reduced VEGF expression and induced partial sympathetic neuronal differentiation when these TICs were grown in vitro under stem cell-promoting conditions. Xenograft tumors of HIF-2alpha-silenced cells were widely necrotic, poorly vascularized, and resembled the bulk of tumor cells in clinical neuroblastomas by expressing additional sympathetic neuronal markers, whereas control tumors were immature, well-vascularized, and stroma-rich. Thus, HIF-2alpha maintains an undifferentiated state of neuroblastoma TICs. Because low differentiation is associated with poor outcome and angiogenesis is crucial for tumor growth, HIF-2alpha is an attractive target for neuroblastoma therapy.