Kobe University · Graduate School of Medicine / Faculty of Medicine

Research keywordshematopoietic stem cells・long term stem cells・short term stem cells・self renewal heterogeneity・stem cell transplantation・myeloid biased hematopoiesis・Hoxb5・TAFRO syndrome

Research fields血液、腫瘍内科学

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• Isolation Method for Long-Term and Short-Term Hematopoietic Stem Cells.Self-renewal capacity and multi-lineage differentiation potential are generally regarded as the defining characteristics of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). However, numerous studies have suggested that functional heterogeneity exists in the HSC compartment. Recent single-cell analyses have reported HSC clones with different cell fates within the HSC compartment, which are referred to as biased HSC clones. The mechanisms underlying heterogeneous or poorly reproducible results are little understood, especially regarding the length of self-renewal when purified HSC fractions are transplanted by conventional immunostaining. Therefore, establishing a reproducible isolation method for long-term HSCs (LT-HSCs) and short-term HSCs (ST-HSCs), defined by the length of their self-renewal, is crucial for overcoming this issue. Using unbiased multi-step screening, we identified a transcription factor, Hoxb5, which may be an exclusive marker of LT-HSCs in the mouse hematopoietic system. Based on this finding, we established a Hoxb5 reporter mouse line and successfully isolated LT-HSCs and ST-HSCs. Here we describe a detailed protocol for the isolation of LT-HSCs and ST-HSCs using the Hoxb5 reporter system. This isolation method will help researchers better understand the mechanisms of self-renewal and the biological basis for such heterogeneity in the HSC compartment.
• Alteration of long and short-term hematopoietic stem cell ratio causes myeloid-biased hematopoiesisAbstract
• Hoxb5 defines the heterogeneity of self-renewal capacity in the hematopoietic stem cell compartment.Self-renewal and multipotency are essential functions of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). To maintain homeostatic hematopoiesis, functionally uniform HSCs have been thought to be an ideal cell-of-origin. Recent technological advances in the field have allowed us to analyze HSCs with single cell resolution and implicate that functional heterogeneity may exist even within the highly purified HSC compartment. However, due in part to the technical limitations of analyzing extremely rare populations and our incomplete understanding of HSC biology, neither the biological meaning of why heterogeneity exists nor the precise mechanism of how heterogeneity is determined within the HSC compartment is entirely known. Here we show the first evidence that self-renewal capacity varies with the degree of replication stress dose and results in heterogeneity within the HSC compartment. Using the Hoxb5-reporter mouse line which enables us to distinguish between long-term (LT)-HSCs and short-term (ST)-HSCs, we have found that ST-HSCs quickly lose self-renewal capacity under high stress environments but can maintain self-renewal under low stress environments for long periods of time. Critically, exogeneous Hoxb5 expression confers protection against loss of self-renewal to Hoxb5-negative HSCs and can partially alter the cell fate of ST-HSCs to that of LT-HSCs. Our results demonstrate that Hoxb5 imparts functional heterogeneity in the HSC compartment by regulating self-renewal capacity. Additionally, Hoxb5-positive HSCs may exist as fail-safe system to protect from the exhaustion of HSCs throughout an organism's lifespan.
• [Significance and purification of long-term hematopoietic stem cells in the hematopoietic system].The hematopoietic stem cells, defined as blood stem cells with self-replication ability and multipotency, are key to successful hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. With the history of transplantation in the past 60 years and advances in stem cell technologies, our understanding of the hematopoietic system has deepened. However, the molecular mechanisms of self-renewal and pluripotency, which are the essence of the hematopoietic stem cells, remain poorly understood. One reason is that the identification/purification methods of the hematopoietic stem cells, particularly the long-term hematopoietic stem cells capable of lifelong self-renewal, is technically difficult owing to their scarcity in the bone marrow and has not been established to this date. Considering that a long-lasting blood production after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is crucial, it is essential to understand the biology of the long-term hematopoietic stem cells not only scientifically but also clinically. This review describes the scientific and clinical significance of the long-term hematopoietic stem cells by showing the results of the latest researches in the introduction of hematopoietic stem cell identification/purification history.

• 自己複製能制御遺伝子を用いた造血幹細胞の新規体外培養法確立 酒巻 太郎 日本学術振興会, 科学研究費助成事業, 若手研究, 神戸大学, 2024年04月01日 - 2026年03月31日2024 · KUID parsed section
• 高精度造血幹細胞分離技術に基づくストレス造血制御機構の解明 酒巻 太郎 日本学術振興会, 科学研究費助成事業, 若手研究, 国立研究開発法人理化学研究所, 2022年04月01日 - 2024年03月31日2022 · KUID parsed section
• 高純度長期造血幹細胞単離技術を用いた自己複製能制御遺伝子の同定
• 自己複製能制御遺伝子を用いた造血幹細胞の新規体外培養法確立

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