Luteinizing hormone signaling restricts hematopoietic stem cell expansion during puberty

In this study, we identified an extrinsic mechanism by which HSC number and functions are regulated during mouse puberty. We found that the HSC number in postnatal bone marrow reached homeostasis at 4 weeks after birth. Luteinizing hormone, but not downstream sex hormones, was involved in regulating HSC homeostasis during this period. Expression of luteinizing hormone receptor (Lhcgr) is highly restricted in HSCs and multipotent progenitor cells in the hematopoietic hierarchy. When Lhcgr was deleted, HSCs continued to expand even after 4 weeks after birth, leading to abnormally elevated hematopoiesis and leukocytosis. In a murine acute myeloid leukemia model, leukemia development was significantly accelerated upon Lhcgr deletion. Together, our work reveals an extrinsic counting mechanism that restricts HSC expansion during development and is physiologically important for maintaining normal hematopoiesis and inhibiting leukemogenesis.

Source: EMBO Journal - September 3, 2018 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Peng, Y. J., Yu, H., Hao, X., Dong, W., Yin, X., Lin, M., Zheng, J., Zhou, B. O. Tags: Cancer, Physiology, Stem Cells Articles Source Type: research