1022 - systematic genetic dissection of the hematopoietic stem cell niche in the fetal liver

The liver is the main hematopoietic organ and the site of hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) expansion and maturation in mammalian fetuses. However, little is known about the nature of the HSC niche in the developing liver in vivo. Here, we genetically dissected the cellular components of the developing liver niche by determining the cellular sources of a key HSC niche factor, stem cell factor (SCF). We found that Scf was primarily expressed by endothelial cells and hepatic stellate cells. Conditional deletion of Scf from hematopoietic cells, hepatocytes, Ng2+ cells or endothelial cells did not affect HSC number or function.

Source: Experimental Hematology - July 31, 2019 Category: Hematology Authors: Lei Ding, Yeojin Lee, Juliana Leslie, Ying Yang Source Type: research