Haematopoietic Stem Cell Differentiation Flashcards
What is haematopoiesis?
Process of blood production.
Where does haematopoiesis take place?
Firstly, in the yolk sac, then in the fetal liver, aorta-gonad-mesonephros, placenta and bone marrow.
Which haematopoietic stem cells have self-renewal properties?
Long-term haematopoietic stem cells (LT-HSC), short-term haematopoietic stem cells (ST-HSC) and multipotent progenitors (MPP).
What can be found in bone marrow niche?
Haematopoietic stem cells and stromal cells. Stromal cells include endothelial cells, perivascular cells, sympathetic nerve fibres, megakaryocytes, macrophages, T cells, adipocytes, and osteoblasts.
What are the 2 types of bone marrow niches?
- Endosteal niche (close to the bone)
- Central niche/perivascular niche (further away from the bone).
In which niche are the majority of HSCs?
Central/perivascular niche.
What characterizes the endosteal niche?
Higher Calcium and lower oxygen environment. The endosteal niche is used for long-term HSC storage in a quiescent state.
What characterizes the central niche?
Lower Calcium and higher oxygen environment. The central niche is used for short-term HSC storage in a process of proliferation and differentiation.
When does haematopoiesis start in humans?
5 weeks of gestation.
What progenitors do we have in haematopoiesis?
- Common myeloid progenitors
- Common lymphoid progenitors
- Megakaryocyte/erythrocyte progenitor
- Granulocyte/monocyte progenitors.
What are the characteristics of progenitors?
They are highly proliferative and more committed than stem cells. However, they don’t have self-renewal properties.
What are the characteristics of mature cells?
They are the most committed. They will perform a function, they do not proliferate, and they do not have self-renewal properties.
Is haematopoiesis happening continuously in order?
No, there are intermediates, and they can shift from one side to the other.
Do progenitors in the fetal liver derive from HSCs?
No, there is a study which states that the progenitors in the fetal liver come from a separate branch of haematopoietic stem cells.
Do HSCs need to last a lifetime?
Yes, LT, ST and MPPs need to last a lifetime. It has been shown in a study where mice were irradiated and then given an injection with bone marrow cells, and they saw that the animal did not die but recovered the full blood. This means that there was a stem cell population which repopulated the whole bone marrow.