Cebpa is required for haematopoietic stem and progenitor cell generation and maintenance in zebrafish
Kemin Chen,
Jieyi Wu,
Yuxian Zhang,
Wei Liu,
Xiaohui Chen,
Wenqing Zhang,
Zhibin Huang
Affiliations
Kemin Chen
The Innovation Centre of Ministry of Education for Development and Diseases, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, People’s Republic of China
Jieyi Wu
The Innovation Centre of Ministry of Education for Development and Diseases, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, People’s Republic of China
Yuxian Zhang
The Innovation Centre of Ministry of Education for Development and Diseases, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, People’s Republic of China
Wei Liu
The Innovation Centre of Ministry of Education for Development and Diseases, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, People’s Republic of China
Xiaohui Chen
The Innovation Centre of Ministry of Education for Development and Diseases, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, People’s Republic of China
Wenqing Zhang
The Innovation Centre of Ministry of Education for Development and Diseases, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, People’s Republic of China
Zhibin Huang
The Innovation Centre of Ministry of Education for Development and Diseases, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, People’s Republic of China
The CCAAT enhancer binding protein alpha (CEBPA) is crucial for myeloid differentiation and the balance of haematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) quiescence and self-renewal, and its dysfunction can drive leukemogenesis. However, its role in HSPC generation has not been fully elucidated. Here, we utilized various zebrafish cebpa mutants to investigate the function of Cebpa in the HSPC compartment. Co-localization analysis showed that cebpa expression is enriched in nascent HSPCs. Complete loss of Cebpa function resulted in a significant reduction in early HSPC generation and the overall HSPC pool during embryonic haematopoiesis. Interestingly, while myeloid differentiation was impaired in cebpa N-terminal mutants expressing the truncated zP30 protein, the number of HSPCs was not affected, indicating a redundant role of Cebpa P42 and P30 isoforms in HSPC development. Additionally, epistasis experiments confirmed that Cebpa functions downstream of Runx1 to regulate HSPC emergence. Our findings uncover a novel role of Cebpa isoforms in HSPC generation and maintenance, and provide new insights into HSPC development.
