IFNy Stimulation Induces Hematopoietic Stem Cell Homing and Niche Relocalization

Interferon gamma (IFNy) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that is upregulated during chronic infections and chronic diseases, such as aplastic anemia, and has been associated with pancytopenia and diminished hematopoiesis. Studies have shown that IFNy negatively regulates hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) homeostasis by decreasing self-renewal and promoting terminal differentiation. The tight regulation of HSC homeostasis is dependent upon the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment, or BM niche. The BM niche is composed of a network of cell types that provide elaborate cell-cell interactions, cellular metabolites, transcriptional regulators, and local and distant humoral and neural signals that allow for hematopoietic homeostasis. In particular, CXCL12-abundant reticular (CAR) cells are vital to HSC maintenance, as depletion of CXCL12, or its receptor, leads to HSC depletion. However, the mechanism which IFNy activates HSCs and influences its interaction with the BM niche is unknown. We hypothesize that IFNy promotes HSC terminal differentiation and loss of quiescence by altering HSC interactions with the BM niche.

To assess changes in HSC interactions with the BM niche upon IFNy stimulation, we performed intravital imaging using CXCL12 GFP reporter mice before and after administration of recombinant IFNy. We found that HSCs stimulated with IFNy were significantly distanced from CAR cells compared to pre-treated controls. There was no change in distance with IFNy-receptor deficient HSCs, suggesting that movement away from the CAR cells was due to a cell autonomous IFNy-dependent mechanism. We performed gene expression analysis and transwell migration assays on HSCs from IFNy treated mice, and determined that there was no change in CXCL12 receptor (CXCR4) expression upon IFNy treatment, and IFNy did not alter migration towards CXCL12. These results suggest that HSC re-localization upon IFNy is independent of CXCL12 signaling.

To explore the mechanism by which IFNy induces re-localization of HSCs, we first performed microarray analysis on HSCs from IFNy stimulated mice to assess what surface proteins were changed upon IFNy treatment. While there was no change in common HSC receptors thought to influence HSC homeostasis (cKit, Cdh2, Mpl, Itgb1, Itbg2, Itga4, and Itga1), we observed an increase in expression of bone marrow stromal antigen 2 (BST2). To explore the impact of BST2 on HSC homeostasis, quantification and proliferation analysis was performed on HSCs from Bst2^-/- mice. Interestingly, Bst2^-/- HSCs were significantly less proliferative and more abundant compared to controls. These studies suggest that BST2 may play a role in maintaining HSC homeostasis.

The functional role of BST2 in cellular movement and adhesion has been studied in cancer. Increased BST2 expression has been associated with promoting the migration, adhesion and metastasis of various cancer cells. Since migration and adhesion is important for HSC homing, we assessed the effects of IFNy on HSC homing. Hematopoietic progenitors from IFNy-treated mice homed to the bone marrow with greater efficiency than PBS-treated controls, whereas progenitors from IFNy-receptor-deficientmice showed a decrease in homing. Additionally, WBM from IFNyR^-/- had reduced engraftment than wildtype, consistent with a role for IFNy signaling in promoting HSC homing. The impact of BST2 on homing is currently being explored.

In summary, we show that IFNy induces re-localization of HSCs away from quiescence-promoting CAR cells within the bone marrow niche via a mechanism that is independent of CXCL12 signaling. We further show that IFNy promotes HSC homing. The increased expression of BST2 on IFNy-stimulated HSCs appears to impact HSC proliferation and abundance in the bone marrow. Thus, BST2 may play a role in HSC activation and exit from quiescence. Expanding our understanding of the mechanism that drives HSC activation and terminal differentiation has important implications for patients who develop pancytopenia or bone marrow failure due to chronic inflammation.