Inhibitory receptors bind ANGPTLs and support blood stem cells and leukaemia development.

How environmental cues regulate adult stem cell and cancer cell activity through surface receptors is poorly understood. Angiopoietin-like proteins (ANGPTLs), a family of seven secreted glycoproteins, are known to support the activity of haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in vitro and in vivo. ANGPTLs also have important roles in lipid metabolism, angiogenesis and inflammation, but were considered 'orphan ligands' because no receptors were identified. Here we show that the immune-inhibitory receptor human leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptor B2 (LILRB2) and its mouse orthologue paired immunoglobulin-like receptor (PIRB) are receptors for several ANGPTLs. LILRB2 and PIRB are expressed on human and mouse HSCs, respectively, and the binding of ANGPTLs to these receptors supported ex vivo expansion of HSCs. In mouse transplantation acute myeloid leukaemia models, a deficiency in intracellular signalling of PIRB resulted in increased differentiation of leukaemia cells, revealing that PIRB supports leukaemia development. Our study indicates an unexpected functional significance of classical immune-inhibitory receptors in maintenance of stemness of normal adult stem cells and in support of cancer development.

Angiopoietin-like protein 3 supports the activity of hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow niche.

The physiologic roles of angiopoietin-like proteins (Angptls) in the hematopoietic system remain unknown. Here we show that hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in Angptl3-null mice are decreased in number and quiescence. HSCs transplanted into Angptl3-null recipient mice exhibited impaired repopulation. Bone marrow sinusoidal endothelial cells express high levels of Angptl3 and are adjacent to HSCs. Importantly, bone marrow stromal cells or endothelium deficient in Angptl3 have a significantly decreased ability to support the expansion of repopulating HSCs. Angptl3 represses the expression of the transcription factor Ikaros, whose unregulated overexpression diminishes the repopulation activity of HSCs. Angptl3, as an extrinsic factor, thus supports the stemness of HSCs in the bone marrow niche.

IGF binding protein 2 supports the survival and cycling of hematopoietic stem cells.

The role of IGF binding protein 2 (IGFBP2) in cell growth is intriguing and largely undefined. Previously we identified IGFBP2 as an extrinsic factor that supports ex vivo expansion of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Here we showed that IGFBP2-null mice have fewer HSCs than wild-type mice. While IGFBP2 has little cell-autonomous effect on HSC function, we found decreased in vivo repopulation of HSCs in primary and secondary transplanted IGFBP2-null recipients. Importantly, bone marrow stromal cells that are deficient for IGFBP2 have significantly decreased ability to support the expansion of repopulating HSCs. To investigate the mechanism by which IGFBP2 supports HSC activity, we demonstrated that HSCs in IGFBP2-null mice had decreased survival and cycling, down-regulated expression of antiapoptotic factor Bcl-2, and up-regulated expression of cell cycle inhibitors p21, p16, p19, p57, and PTEN. Moreover, we found that the C-terminus, but not the RGD domain, of extrinsic IGFBP2 was essential for support of HSC activity. Defective signaling of the IGF type I receptor did not rescue the decreased repopulation of HSCs in IGFBP2-null recipients, suggesting that the environmental effect of IGFBP2 on HSCs is independent of IGF-IR mediated signaling. Therefore, as an environmental factor, IGFBP2 supports the survival and cycling of HSCs.

EphB receptors regulate stem/progenitor cell proliferation, migration, and polarity during hippocampal neurogenesis.

The adult brain maintains two regions of neurogenesis from which new neurons are born, migrate to their appropriate location, and become incorporated into the circuitry of the CNS. One of these, the subgranular zone of the hippocampal dentate gyrus, is of primary interest because of the role of this region in learning and memory. We show that mice lacking EphB1, and more profoundly EphB1 and EphB2, have significantly fewer neural progenitors in the hippocampus. Furthermore, other aspects of neurogenesis, such as polarity, cell positioning, and proliferation are disrupted in animals lacking the EphB1 receptor or its cognate ephrin-B3 ligand. Our data strongly suggest that EphB1 and ephrin-B3 cooperatively regulate the proliferation and migration of neural progenitors in the hippocampus and should be added to a short list of candidate target molecules for modulating the production and integration of new neurons as a treatment for neurodegenerative diseases or brain injury.

Components of the hematopoietic compartments in tumor stroma and tumor-bearing mice.

Solid tumors are composed of cancerous cells and non-cancerous stroma. A better understanding of the tumor stroma could lead to new therapeutic applications. However, the exact compositions and functions of the tumor stroma are still largely unknown. Here, using a Lewis lung carcinoma implantation mouse model, we examined the hematopoietic compartments in tumor stroma and tumor-bearing mice. Different lineages of differentiated hematopoietic cells existed in tumor stroma with the percentage of myeloid cells increasing and the percentage of lymphoid and erythroid cells decreasing over time. Using bone marrow reconstitution analysis, we showed that the tumor stroma also contained functional hematopoietic stem cells. All hematopoietic cells in the tumor stroma originated from bone marrow. In the bone marrow and peripheral blood of tumor-bearing mice, myeloid populations increased and lymphoid and erythroid populations decreased and numbers of hematopoietic stem cells markedly increased with time. To investigate the function of hematopoietic cells in tumor stroma, we co-implanted various types of hematopoietic cells with cancer cells. We found that total hematopoietic cells in the tumor stroma promoted tumor development. Furthermore, the growth of the primary implanted Lewis lung carcinomas and their metastasis were significantly decreased in mice reconstituted with IGF type I receptor-deficient hematopoietic stem cells, indicating that IGF signaling in the hematopoietic tumor stroma supports tumor outgrowth. These results reveal that hematopoietic cells in the tumor stroma regulate tumor development and that tumor progression significantly alters the host hematopoietic compartment.

Ex vivo expanded hematopoietic stem cells overcome the MHC barrier in allogeneic transplantation.

The lack of understanding of the interplay between hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and the immune system has severely hampered the stem cell research and practice of transplantation. Major problems for allogeneic transplantation include low levels of donor engraftment and high risks of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Transplantation of purified allogeneic HSCs diminishes the risk of GVHD but results in decreased engraftment. Here we show that ex vivo expanded mouse HSCs efficiently overcame the major histocompatibility complex barrier and repopulated allogeneic-recipient mice. An 8-day expansion culture led to a 40-fold increase of the allograft ability of HSCs. Both increased numbers of HSCs and culture-induced elevation of expression of the immune inhibitor CD274 (B7-H1 or PD-L1) on the surface of HSCs contributed to the enhancement. Our study indicates the great potential of utilizing ex vivo expanded HSCs for allogeneic transplantation and suggests that the immune privilege of HSCs can be modulated.

EphB receptors coordinate migration and proliferation in the intestinal stem cell niche.

More than 10(10) cells are generated every day in the human intestine. Wnt proteins are key regulators of proliferation and are known endogenous mitogens for intestinal progenitor cells. The positioning of cells within the stem cell niche in the intestinal epithelium is controlled by B subclass ephrins through their interaction with EphB receptors. We report that EphB receptors, in addition to directing cell migration, regulate proliferation in the intestine. EphB signaling promotes cell-cycle reentry of progenitor cells and accounts for approximately 50% of the mitogenic activity in the adult mouse small intestine and colon. These data establish EphB receptors as key coordinators of migration and proliferation in the intestinal stem cell niche.

Bidirectional signaling mediated by ephrin-B2 and EphB2 controls urorectal development.

Incomplete urethral tubularization (hypospadias) and anorectal abnormalities are two common and poorly understood birth defects that affect the extreme caudal midline of the human embryo. We now show that cell surface molecules essential for proper axon pathfinding in the developing nervous system, namely ephrin-B2 and the ephrin receptors EphB2 and EphB3, also play major roles in cell adhesion events that tubularize the urethra and partition the urinary and alimentary tracts. Mice carrying mutations which disrupt the bidirectional signals that these molecules transduce develop with variably penetrant severe hypospadias and incomplete midline fusion of the primitive cloaca. We further show that animals completely lacking ephrin-B2 reverse signaling present a fully penetrant failure in cloacal septation. This results in severe anorectal malformations characterized by an absence of the terminal-most hindgut (rectum) and formation of a fistula that aberrantly connects the intestines to the urethra at the base of the bladder. Consistent with an apparent requisite for both forward and reverse signaling in these caudal remodeling events, EphB2 and ephrin-B2 are coexpressed at the midline in the fusing urethral/cloacal endoderm and underlying lateral mesoderm of the urorectal septum that migrates toward the caudal midline as the cloaca septates. Our data thus indicate that B-subclass Eph and ephrin molecules play an important role in these clinically significant midline cell-cell adhesion and fusion events.

Ephrin-B2 reverse signaling is required for axon pathfinding and cardiac valve formation but not early vascular development.

Vascular development begins with the formation of a primary vascular plexus that is rapidly remodeled by angiogenesis into the interconnected branched patterns characteristic of mature vasculature. Several receptor tyrosine kinases and their ligands have been implicated to control early development of the vascular system. These include the vascular endothelial growth factor receptors (VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2) that bind VEGF, the Tie-1 and Tie-2 receptors that bind the angiopoietins, and the EphB4 receptor that binds the membrane-anchored ligand ephrin-B2. Targeted mutations in the mouse germline have revealed essential functions for these molecules in vascular development. In particular, protein-null mutations that delete either EphB4 or ephrin-B2 from the mouse have been shown to result in early embryonic lethality due to failed angiogenic remodeling. The venous expression of EphB4 and arterial expression of ephrin-B2 has lead to the speculation that the interaction of these two molecules leads to bidirectional signaling into both the receptor-expressing cell and the ligand-expressing cell, and that both forward and reverse signals are required for proper development of blood vessels in the embryo. Indeed, targeted removal of the ephrin-B2 carboxy-terminal cytoplasmic tail by another group was shown to perturb vascular development and result in the same early embryonic lethality as the null mutation, leading the authors to propose that ephrin-B2 reverse signaling directs early angiogenic remodeling of the primary vascular plexus [Cell 104 (2001) 57]. However, we show here that the carboxy-terminal cytoplasmic domain of ephrin-B2, and hence reverse signaling, is not required during early vascular development, but it is necessary for neonatal survival and functions later in cardiovascular development in the maturation of cardiac valve leaflets. We further show that ephrin-B2 reverse signaling is required for the pathfinding of axons that form the posterior tract of the anterior commissure. Our results thus indicate that ephrin-B2 functions in the early embryo as a typical instructive ligand to stimulate EphB4 receptor forward signaling during angiogenic remodeling and that later in embryonic development ephrin-B2 functions as a receptor to transduce reverse signals involved in cardiac valve maturation and axon pathfinding.