We developed previously a hypoxic culture system in which progenitors endowed with marrow-repopulating ability (MRA), unlike committed progenitors, were selected and maintained better than in air. We report here an improvement to this system targeted at combining the maintenance of progenitors sustaining MRA with the numerical expansion of multipotent and committed progenitors. Murine bone marrow cells were incubated at 1% oxygen in liquid medium supplemented with stem cell factor, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, interleukin-6 and interleukin-3. In day 8 hypoxic cultures, the numbers of high proliferative potential and granulocyte/macrophage colony-forming cells (HPP-CFC and CFU-GM) were increased with respect to time zero. Colonies generated by HPP-CFC derived from hypoxic cultures exhibited a high replating ability, whereas colonies generated by HPP-CFC derived from control cultures exhibited a low replating ability. MRA was fully maintained in hypoxia and markedly reduced in air. Thus, severe hypoxia is able to ensure a full maintenance of progenitors sustaining MRA, together with a significant expansion of in vitro-detectable clonogenic progenitors, including those endowed with replating ability. This system could contribute to the improvement of current techniques for the in vitro treatment of human haematopoietic cell populations before transplantation.

Summary:The efficiency of five different cryopreservation protocols (our original controlled-rate and noncontrolled-rate protocols) was evaluated on the basis of the recovery after thawing of very primitive pluripotent hemopoietic stem cells (MRA CFU-GM ), pluripotent progenitors (CFUSd12) and committed granulocyte-monocyte progenitors (CFU-GM) in mouse bone marrow. Although the nucleated cell recovery and viability determined immediately after the thawing and washing of the cells were found to be similar, whether controlled-rate or noncontrolled-rate cryopreservation protocols were used, the recovery of MRA CFU-GM , CFU-Sd12 and CFU-GM varied depending on the type of protocol and the cryoprotector (DMSO) concentrations used. It was shown that the controlled-rate protocol was more efficient, enabling better MRA CFU-GM , CFU-Sd12 and CFU-GM recovery from frozen samples. The most efficient was the controlled-rate protocol of cryopreservation designed to compensate for the release of fusion heat, which enabled a better survival of CFU-Sd12 and CFU-GM when combined with a lower (5%) DMSO concentration. On the contrary, a satisfactory survival rate of very primitive stem cells (MRA CFU-GM ) was achieved only when 10% DMSO was included with a fivestep protocol of cryopreservation. These results point to adequately used controlled-rate freezing as essential for a highly efficient cryopreservation of some of the categories of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. At the same time, it was obvious that a higher DMSO concentration was necessary for the cryopreservation of very primitive stem cells, but not, however, for more mature progenitor cells (CFU-S, CFU-GM). These results imply the existence of a mechanism that decreases the intracellular concentration of DMSO in primitive MRA cells, which is not the case for less primitive progenitors.

No abstract

The recent JAK1/2 inhibitor trial in myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) showed that reducing inflammation can be more beneficial than targeting gene mutants. We evaluated the proinflammatory IL-6 cytokine and JAK-STAT signaling pathway related genes in circulating CD34+ cells of MPNs. Regarding laboratory data, leukocytosis has been observed in polycythemia vera (PV) and JAK2V617F mutation positive versus negative primary myelofibrosis (PMF) patients. Moreover, thrombocytosis was reduced by JAK2V617F allele burden in essential thrombocythemia (ET) and PMF. 261 significantly changed genes have been detected in PV, 82 in ET, and 94 genes in PMF. The following JAK-STAT signaling pathway related genes had augmented expression in CD34+ cells of MPNs: CCND3 and IL23A regardless of JAK2V617F allele burden; CSF3R, IL6ST, and STAT1/2 in ET and PV with JAK2V617F mutation; and AKT2, IFNGR2, PIM1, PTPN11, and STAT3 only in PV. STAT5A gene expression was generally reduced in MPNs. IL-6 cytokine levels were increased in plasma, as well as IL-6 protein levels in bone marrow stroma of MPNs, dependent on JAK2V617F mutation presence in ET and PMF patients. Therefore, the JAK2V617F mutant allele burden participated in inflammation biomarkers induction and related signaling pathways activation in MPNs.

No abstract