Cell Reports (Dec 2019)

Discrimination of Dormant and Active Hematopoietic Stem Cells by G0 Marker Reveals Dormancy Regulation by Cytoplasmic Calcium

  • Tsuyoshi Fukushima,
  • Yosuke Tanaka,
  • Fiona K. Hamey,
  • Chih-Hsiang Chang,
  • Toshihiko Oki,
  • Shuhei Asada,
  • Yasutaka Hayashi,
  • Takeshi Fujino,
  • Taishi Yonezawa,
  • Reina Takeda,
  • Kimihito Cojin Kawabata,
  • Tomofusa Fukuyama,
  • Terumasa Umemoto,
  • Keiyo Takubo,
  • Hitoshi Takizawa,
  • Susumu Goyama,
  • Yasushi Ishihama,
  • Hiroaki Honda,
  • Berthold Göttgens,
  • Toshio Kitamura

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 29, no. 12
pp. 4144 – 4158.e7

Abstract

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Summary: Quiescent hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are typically dormant, and only a few quiescent HSCs are active. The relationship between “dormant” and “active” HSCs remains unresolved. Here we generate a G0 marker (G0M) mouse line that visualizes quiescent cells and identify a small population of active HSCs (G0Mlow), which are distinct from dormant HSCs (G0Mhigh), within the conventional quiescent HSC fraction. Single-cell RNA-seq analyses show that the gene expression profiles of these populations are nearly identical but differ in their Cdk4/6 activity. Furthermore, high-throughput small-molecule screening reveals that high concentrations of cytoplasmic calcium ([Ca2+]c) are linked to dormancy of HSCs. These findings indicate that G0M separates dormant and active adult HSCs, which are regulated by Cdk4/6 and [Ca2+]c. This G0M mouse line represents a useful resource for investigating physiologically important stem cell subpopulations. : Fukushima et al. show that G0 marker (G0M) discriminates between dormant and active HSCs within the conventional quiescent HSC fraction. Small-molecule screening reveals that high [Ca2+]c is linked to dormancy of HSCs. Moreover, upregulation of [Ca2+]c by thapsigargin enhances the bone marrow reconstitution ability of HSCs. Keywords: hematopoietic stem cell, HSC, cell cycle, G0 phase, p27, dormancy, CDK, calcium