The Cyclin Interactor p26^INCA1 Regulates the Hematopoietic Stem Cell Pool Via CDK Inhibition.

Cell cycle progression is driven by the kinase activity of cyclin/CDK complexes. Dysregulation of the cell cycle leads to altered cell growth and contributes to tumorigenesis. Recently, we identified p26^INCA1 as novel interaction partner of Cyclin A1/CDK2. Here, we characterize the phenotype of Inca1-null mice to uncover the cellular and molecular function of Inca1. Inca1-knockout mice were viable and fertile. FACS analyses revealed that aging mutant animals harbored an increased hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) pool. Bone marrow cells of young mice exhibited enhanced clonogenic replating efficiency in colony formation assays as compared to wildtype mice. Weekly administration of the myeloablative agent 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) led to a significantly shorter life span of Inca1^{−/ −} mice compared to wildtype littermates. The increased 5-FU toxicity might thus be related to a higher number of cycling HSC in Inca1^{−/ −} bone marrow. Analysis of the impact of Inca1 on cell cycle regulation demonstrated that the fraction of Inca1^{−/ −} embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) in S phase was significantly increased. Ectopic INCA1 expression reduced proliferation and colony formation of proliferating cells such as primary bone marrow cells, HeLa, HuTu80 and 32D cell lines. Serum starvation rapidly induced and mitogenic signals inhibited Inca1 expression providing a further link to cell cycle regulation. To identify the molecular mechanism of cell cycle regulation by Inca1, we investigated the influence of Inca1 on the direct inhibition of CDK2. In spleen lysates from Inca1-deficient mice, cellular CDK2 kinase activity towards Histone H1 was significantly induced compared to lysates of wildtype littermates. In in vitro kinase assays, recombinant INCA1 strongly inhibited CDK2 activity. In addition, we hypothesized that other cyclin kinase inhibitors (CKI) could partially compensate in vivo for the loss of Inca1 function. p21^cip1/waf1 mRNA and protein expression were induced in Inca1^{−/ −} MEFs compared to wildtype cells hinting at a partial compensation of the loss of Inca1 by induction of p21. Loss of Inca1 combined with p21 knockdown synergistically increased S-phase. These results indicate that Inca1 could be functionally related to p21 and that the rather mild phenotype observed in Inca1^{−/ −} mice and the modest differences in Cdk activity observed in cell lysates lacking Inca1 could be due to compensatory induction of the CKI p21. In summary, loss of Inca1 increased cell proliferation, replating efficiency, S-phase progression, and Cdk2 activity whereas gain of Inca1 suppressed these cell functions. Inca1 expression was induced during cell cycle arrest. We conclude that Inca1 could be a novel cell cycle suppressor regulating the quiescence of HSCs through the inhibition of Cdk2.