The mechanisms of hematopoietic progenitor cell egress and clinical mobilization are not fully understood. Herein, we report that in vivo desensitization of Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptors by FTY720 as well as disruption of S1P gradient toward the blood, reduced steady state egress of immature progenitors and primitive Sca-1 ؉ /c-Kit ؉ /Lin ؊ (SKL) cells via inhibition of SDF-1 release. Administration of AMD3100 or G-CSF to mice with deficiencies in either S1P production or its receptor S1P 1 , or pretreated with FTY720, also resulted in reduced stem and progenitor cell mobilization. Mice injected with AMD3100 or G-CSF demonstrated transient increased S1P levels in the blood mediated via mTOR signaling, as well as an elevated rate of immature c-Kit ؉ /Lin ؊ cells expressing surface S1P 1 in the bone marrow (BM). Importantly, we found that S1P induced SDF-1 secretion from BM stromal cells including Nestin ؉ mesenchymal stem cells via reactive oxygen species (ROS) signaling. Moreover, elevated ROS production by hematopoietic progenitor cells is also regulated by S1P. Our findings reveal that the S1P/S1P 1 axis regulates progenitor cell egress and mobilization via activation of ROS signaling on both hematopoietic progenitors and BM stromal cells, and SDF-1 release. The dynamic cross-talk between S1P and SDF-1 integrates BM stromal cells and hematopoeitic progenitor cell motility. (Blood. 2012;119(11):2478-2488)
IntroductionMotility is a key feature of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). These cells are continuously released at basal levels from the bone marrow (BM) reservoir to the circulation during steady state homeostasis together with maturing leukocytes, and at increased rates on stress situations, such as bleeding or inflammation. 1,2 The complex process of HSPC trafficking is orchestrated by various cytokines, chemokines, proteolytic enzymes, and adhesion molecules 3-5 through a dynamic interplay between the immune and nervous systems within the bone microenvironment. 1,2,6-8 HSPC mobilization can be clinically induced by a variety of cytokines and drugs, such as granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF, the most commonly used agent), 9,10 sulfated polysaccharides, 11,12 and recently also by AMD3100. 13,14 Repetitive G-CSF administrations cause mobilization by inducing proliferation and differentiation of HSPC, thus increasing their pool size, accompanied by reduced retention in the BM microenvironment. 15 The chemokine stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1, also termed CXCL12), which is the most powerful chemoattractant of both human and murine HSPCs, 16,17 and its major receptor CXCR4 are key players in HSPC mobilization. 10,12,13,[18][19][20][21] SDF-1 is transiently increased in the murine BM during G-CSF stimulation followed by its downregulation at both protein 18,22 and mRNA 23 levels, reaching a nadir at the peak of HSPC mobilization. 18 The intensified SDF-1/CXCR4 interactions induce enhanced production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) through activation of the HGF/c-Met path...