(2008) Blood: Heme oxygenase-1 deficiency leads to disrupted response to acute stress in stem cells and progenitors

Citation

Cao YA, Wagers AJ, Karsunky H, Zhao H, Reeves R, Wong RJ, Stevenson DK, Weissman IL, Contag CH. 2008. Heme oxygenase-1 deficiency leads to disrupted response to acute stress in stem cells and progenitors. Blood. 112(12):4494-502. Pubmed: 18509090 DOI:10.1182/blood-2007-12-127621

Abstract

An effective response to extreme hematopoietic stress requires an extreme elevation in hematopoiesis and preservation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). These diametrically opposed processes are likely to be regulated by genes that mediate cellular adaptation to physiologic stress. Herein, we show that heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), the inducible isozyme of heme degradation, is a key regulator of these processes. Mice lacking one allele of HO-1 (HO-1(+/-)) showed accelerated hematopoietic recovery from myelotoxic injury, and HO-1(+/-) HSCs repopulated lethally irradiated recipients with more rapid kinetics. However, HO-1(+/-) HSCs were ineffective in radioprotection and serial repopulation of myeloablated recipients. Perturbations in key stem cell regulators were observed in HO-1(+/-) HSCs and hematopoietic progenitors (HPCs), which may explain the disrupted response of HO-1(+/-) HPCs and HPCs to acute stress. Control of stem cell stress response by HO-1 presents opportunities for metabolic manipulation of stem cell-based therapies.

Related Faculty

Amy Wagers, Ph.D.

Wagers Lab

Amy Wagers seeks to change the way we repair our tissues after an injury. Her research focuses on defining the factors and mechanisms that regulate the migration, expansion, and regenerative potential of adult blood-forming and muscle-forming stem cells.