Stem cell niche I Flashcards
In order to be able to sustain haematopoiesis throughout lives what must HSC do?
Carefully BALANCE/tightly regulate self-renewal with differentiation
What happens if there is excessive self-renewal of HSC (at the expense of differentiation)?
Why?
Cancer
What happens if there is excessive differentiation of HSC (at the expense of self-renewal)?
Why?
Many blood deficiencies (eg. anemia, immune deficiency, inability of the blood to clot)
As differentiated cells have a LIMITED regenerative capacity –> stem cells will eventually run out
What is the self-renewal vs differentiation decision regulated by?
Different INTRINSIC and EXTRINSIC factors
What are the INTRINSIC factors that influence SC behaviour?
Transcription factors
What are examples of the EXTRINSIC factors that influence SC behaviour?
Blood loss/immune reaction –> causes the HSCs to produce the relative cel types
In stem cell biology, what 2 things must a niche have?
1) A DEFINED anatomical location
2) Functional dimension
What is the definition of a stem cell niche?
A LOCAL tissue ENVIRONMENT that:
1) HOSTS and
2) INFLUENCES the
BEHAVIOURS/characteristics of stem cells
How did the concept of a stem cell niche emerge?
From Till and McCulloch experiments in 1961:
- Injected bone marrow into irradiated mice (with no blood cells) –> mouse survived
- Injected bone marrow cells hung onto the spleen of the mouse and created colonies
- Some of the colonies contained UNDIFFERENTIATED stem cells (proven by transplantation experiments into irradiated mice)
Although the undifferentiated cells taken from the colonies of the spleen can rescue an irradiated mouse phenotype, what is the issue with this?
What does this show?
Not able to rescue the mice upon many SUBSEQUENT transplantations
Shows:
- These cells in the colonies of the spleen are more restricted in their self-renewal capacity
- These cells need to reside in the bone marrow to have infinite self-renewal
What did Schofield propose (1978)?
From what observation?
The stem cell niche hypothesis
From his observation that HSCs need to reside in the bone marrow to retain their ‘infinite’ potential
What is the stem cell niche hypothesis proposed in 1978 by Schofield)?
The stem cell niche:
1) Has a DEFINED anatomical location
2) Regulates SELF-RENEWAL (in the niche - cells are UNDIFFERENTIATED)
3) Removal of the niche results in stem cell DIFFERENTIATION
What was the first evidence for the existence of a stem cel niche? (before any experimental work)
The fact that irradiating patients helped the bone marrow transplant to graft
Idea that there is competition between the endogenous bone marrow cells and the grafted bone marrow cells
–> compete to occupy the niche??
What is the motivation to study stem cell niches?
1) In order to produce better clinical strategies (better than irradiation)
2) Currently unable to maintain adult SC for prolonged periods of time in vitro
–> In vitro niche may help to maintain the SC in vitro in order to be able to study the SC (eg. research and devise new clinical studies)
What is the difference between the behaviour of ES cells and adult SC in vitro?
ES cells - proliferate INDEFINITELY
Adult SC - Unable to proliferate indefinitely (cease self-renewal, differentiate or undergo apoptosis)
In what organism did experimental evidence show the existence of a stem cell niche?
When?
The drosophila germ line system:
- Testies
- Ovaries
In the 90s
What is the structure of the testis?
Tube-like structure that is closed at one end (at the apex)
Where is the testis stem cell niche?
What is the structure?
At the apex
Structure:
- Hub cells that are in close contact with 2 stem cells: germ line stem cells and the somatic (cyst) stem cell
- Gonialblast cells
What are the hub cells in the testis stem cell niche?
10 NON-mitotic cells
The niche producing cells (maintain the stem cell niche)
Where are the somatic (cyst) stem cells in the testis stem cell niche?
Surround the germ line stem cells and are in contact with the hub cells (niche producing cells)
Where are the germ line stem cells in the testis stem cell niche?
In direct contact with the hub cells (niche producing cells)
What happens when the germ line stem cells in the testis stem cell niche divide?
One daughter:
- Stays in contact with the stem cell niche
The other daughter:
- Moves posteriorly away from the hub cells (loses contact)
- Differentiates to become a gonialblast
What are the gonialblast cells in the testis stem cell niche?
What do they do?
- Differentiated germ line stem cells that have migrated away from the hub cells
- Undergo 4 mitotic divisions to produce spermatogonia that will eventually undergo meiosis to form the sperm
What is the local signalling that occurs in the drosophila testes niche?
- Hub cell (in contact with the GSC and CySC produces Upd (UNPAIRED) ligand
- Upd activates JAK-STAT signalling in both SC types
- JAK-STAT signalling is required for the adhesion of the SC to the hub cell
- The hub AND the CySC cell also secrete Gbb/Dpp, which activates BMP in the GSC
- In the GSC: BMP activates pMad which suppresses the expression of Bam (a differentiation factor)
–> Causing the GSC to remain undifferentiated
What occurs at the signalling level when the GSC divides in the drosophila testes niche?
One daughter is displaced OUT of the niche:
- No longer can reach the signals from the hub cell
–> JAK-STAT signalling and BMP signalling no longer activated
–> Contact adhesions to the hub cell are lost and Bam is no longer inactivated
–> Differentiation can occur (no longer are stem cells)
What is the difference between the need of JAK-STAT signalling in the GSC and in the CySC?
JAK-STAT signalling is required and sufficient for the self-renewal of the CySC
But not sufficient for the self-renewal of GSC –> requires BMP signalling activation by Gbb/Dpp
What is the structure of the drosophila ovaries?
- Consists of 10-16 ovarioles
- Each with a germanium at the anterior and a series of differentiating egg chambers
What is the structure of the drosophila ovarian niche?
- Stack of somatic filament cells are the very anterior of the niche (hub cells)
- Cap cells in contact with the germ line stem cells
- Only 1 type of SC
What cells in the drosophila ovarian niche are the niche producing cells?
The cap cells - keeps the GSC undifferentiated
How are GSC regulated in the ovarian niche?
NO requirement for JAK-STAT signalling
BMP activation - through ligands Gbb and Dpp
–> Activates Mad –> Represses Bam (differentiation signal)