Identification of neutrophil lineage-committed progenitors and their developmental mechanism

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26893186
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Hematology
• Research Institution: Kyushu University
• Principal Investigator: Mori Yasuo 九州大学, 大学病院, 助教 (90573345)
• Research Collaborator: MIYAWAKI Kohta
• Project Period (FY): 2014-08-29 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 好中球 / 前駆細胞 / 分化 / 系統決定 / 転写因子

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We, for the first time, could subdivide granulocyte/macrophage progenitor (GMP) population based on the expression pattern of Vcam-1 and M-CSFR: a fraction (10-20%) of GMPs expressed high level of Vcam-1. We found Vcam-1hiM-CSFR- GMPs, both on a single cell level and as a population, robustly generated neutrophils but no other lineages in vitro. In vivo transplantation assays also showed that Vcam-1hiM-CSFR- GMPs completely lacked monocyte/macrophage producing potential. Thus, we termed Vcam-1hiM-CSFR- GMPs as the NPs. Gene expression analyses revealed that Vcam-1hiM-CSFR- GMPs upregulated neutrophil-related genes (e.g., Gfi-1, G-CSFR) and downregulated monocyte/macrophage-related genes (e.g., Irf8, Klf4), clearly reflecting their differentiation potential. This newly classified population might be a useful tool for understanding the molecular mechanisms of physiological/pathological neutrophil development.

Free Research Field

血液学