Regulation of hematopoietic differentiation Flashcards
What 4 broad steps are included in differentiation?
- Lineage commitment
- Cell proliferation
- Cell survival
- Differentiation
How many RBCs are produced per day? WBCs? Platelets?
o ~ 200 billion erythrocytes/day
o ~ 100 billion leukocytes/day
o ~ 100 billion platelets/day
What is a growth factor?
Growth factor = protein that promotes the proliferation of cells
Who first discovered EPO, and when?
o Early 20th century: hémopoïétine (Paul Carnot)
Experiment with rabbits
Name 2 important people in the identification of GFs in hematopoiesis
Don Metcalf and Richard Stanley
What is EPO?
Erythropoietin (EPO) is a peptide hormone (GROWTH FACTOR) that is produced naturally by the human body. EPO is released from the kidneys and acts on the bone marrow to stimulate red blood cell production.
What does EPO do on cell lineage?
Favorizes differentiation of Megakaryocyte-Erythroid precursord to Erythroid precursors (EP) rather than MkPand favorises EP differentiation to erythrocytes
What growth factor is useful for differentiation of MEP to MkP and MkP to platelets?
TPO (thrombopoietin): plays a big role in megakaryocyte development and stabling factor
What is the main category of growth factors acting on the lymphoid lineage?
IL (Interleukins)
What growth factor favorizes the differentiation of GMP to Monocytes?
M-CSF
What growth factor favorizes the differentiation of GMP to Neutrophils and eosinophils?
G-CSF, IL-5, SCF
What is a colony-forming assay?
Introduced around 50-60 years ago
- Limited number of bone marrow (or fetal liver) cells are plated on semi-solid media containing growth factors –> proliferation, differentiation of hematopoietic progenitor populations - growth of colonies (1-2 weeks) and assessment of number of colonies, size and morphology
Isolate cells –> dilution of cells in medium –> plating into semisolid medium (methylcellulose) –> incubate (colony identification depending on growth factors given)
Name and describe the possible colonies on the Myeloid lineage of a colony-forming assay
CFU-GEMM (CFU-Granulocyte, Erythrocyte, Monocyte, Megakaryocyte)
- -> CFU-Mk
- -> BFU-E (Burst-forming unit erythrocytes) –> CFU-E
- -> CFU-GM (Granulocyte, monocytes) –> Either CFU-G or CFU-M
CFU-GEMM – couple thousand cells
BFU-E – More compact, couple hundred cells
CFU-E – more compact and restricted in lineage (about 50 cells)
Name functions of the granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF)
- Functional stimulation
- Maturation induction
- Differentiation commitment
- Proliferation
- Survival
- -> makes the cells becoming a macrophage, neutrophil etc.
What is KIT?
A growth factor in the form of a receptor
What is the pathway used by KIT to relay signal?
It has tyrosine kinase activity
KIT is present in how many % of bone marrow cells? of CD34+ cells?
- Present in 1-4% of bone marrow cells
- Present on 60-75% of CD34+ cells
What are the domains of the KIT receptor?
- Extracellular domain
o Made of immunoglobulin-like domains
D1-3: ligand binding (binds SCF)
D4-5: dimerization (activation of receptor) - Transmembrane domain
- Juxtamembrane domain
o Includes tyrosine kinase domains
What are other names given to the KIT receptor?
c-kit, CD117
What are the different names for the ligand binding to KIT?
KITLG (kit ligand) (other names: SCF (stem cell factor), steel factor)
What is the GNNK domain?
A domain on the transmembrane part of the KIT receptor
Glycine, asparagine, Lysine
The two major splice variants of KIT differ by the presence or absence of four amino acids (GNNK) at the juxta-membrane region of the extracellular domain
What are the differences between KIT GNNK- and GNNK+
GNNK-
- Anchorage independant growth
- Loss of contact inhibition (focus formation)
- Tumorigenicity
- More rapid and extensive tyrosine auto-phosphorylation and rapid internalization
GNNK+
- Colony formation but poor focus formation
- No tumorigenicity
How are KIT receptors activated?
Homodimer of SCFs (ligands) brings receptors together
Ig domain 4 and 5 (D4-5) make the connection – dimerization –> phosphorylation of intracellular domain
Which pathways are initiated when KIT receptor is activated by its ligands? What are the different pathway’s functions?
- Mitogen-activated protein kinases –> proliferation
- AKT kinase –> survival
- PKC –> regulation of gene expression (e.g. activations of TFs, etc.)
How is KIT negatively regulared?
negative regulation (termination of signalling) via phosphatases such as SHP-1, SHP-2 and SHIP
bonus
bonus
What does a mutation in the ligand binding domain of KIT cause as a disease?
idiopathic myelofibrosis
What does a mutation in the extracellular Ig domain of KIT cause as a disease?
AML