Membrane-anchored uPAR regulates the proliferation, marrow pool size, engraftment, and mobilization of mouse hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells

J Clin Invest. 2009 Apr;119(4):1008-18. doi: 10.1172/JCI36010. Epub 2009 Mar 9.

Abstract

The mechanisms of BM hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell (HSPC) adhesion, engraftment, and mobilization remain incompletely identified. Here, using WT and transgenic mice, we have shown that membrane-anchored plasminogen activator, urokinase receptor (MuPAR) marks a subset of HSPCs and promotes the preservation of the size of this pool of cells in the BM. Loss or inhibition of MuPAR increased HSPC proliferation and impaired their homing, engraftment, and adhesion to the BM microenvironment. During mobilization, MuPAR was inactivated by plasmin via proteolytic cleavage. Cell-autonomous loss of the gene encoding MuPAR also impaired long-term engraftment and multilineage repopulation in primary and secondary recipient mice. These findings identify MuPAR and plasmin as regulators of the proliferation, marrow pool size, homing, engraftment, and mobilization of HSPCs and possibly also of HSCs.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Membrane / physiology
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Colony-Forming Units Assay
  • Graft Survival
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cell Mobilization
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cells / cytology*
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cells / physiology*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Plasminogen / deficiency
  • Plasminogen / genetics
  • Receptors, Urokinase Plasminogen Activator / deficiency
  • Receptors, Urokinase Plasminogen Activator / genetics
  • Receptors, Urokinase Plasminogen Activator / physiology*

Substances

  • Plaur protein, mouse
  • Receptors, Urokinase Plasminogen Activator
  • Plasminogen