Nuclear oncoprotein expression as a function of lineage, differentiation stage, and proliferative status of normal human hematopoietic cells

Relative levels of the nuclear oncoproteins c-myb, c-myc, and c-fos were determined in selected subpopulations of normal human bone marrow (BM) cells using a flow cytometric assay which simultaneously detects a cell-surface antigen (as a marker of lineage and stage of maturation) and levels of an intracellular protein. At least two monoclonal antibodies directed against each oncoprotein and specific peptide inhibition controls were used for these determinations. Hematopoietic progenitor cells (CD34+) express the highest levels of c-myb and c-myc, whereas c-fos levels in CD34+ progenitor cells are similar to c-fos levels in mature monocytes and granulocytes. Granulocytes are the only hematopoietic cells examined which do not express detectable levels of c-myb and c-myc. The levels of these oncoproteins in these normal, unstimulated BM cell populations were more closely linked to lineage and maturation stage than to the proliferative status of the given population, as determined by either DNA staining or expression of the cell-cycle specific nuclear protein, Ki67. This flow cytometric assay helps in interpreting the significance of oncoprotein levels in leukemia cells by allowing direct comparisons of a leukemia with the phenotypically similar "normal counterpart control" cell population in normal BM.     

Further phenotypic characterization and isolation of human hematopoietic progenitor cells using a monoclonal antibody to the c-kit receptor.

A mouse antihuman monoclonal IgG2a antibody, termed stem cell receptor-1 (SR-1), specific for a determinant of the c-kit ligand receptor (KR), was used as an immunologic probe to analyze KR expression by human bone marrow hematopoietic progenitor cells. Monoclonal antibodies to CD34 and HLA-DR were used in a multicolor staining protocol in conjunction with SR-1 to further define the phenotypes of various classes of hematopoietic progenitor cells. Expression of KR (SR-1+) on hematopoietic progenitor cells identified subpopulations of cells expressing CD34 (CD34+). While one-half of the CD34- and HLA-DR-expressing cells (CD34+ HLA-DR+) expressed the KR (SR-1+), one-third of the CD34+ cells that lacked HLA-DR expression (CD34+ HLA-DR-) were SR-1+. The CD34+ HLA-DR+ SR-1+ cell population contained the vast majority of the more differentiated progenitor cells, including the colony-forming unit (CFU) granulocyte-macrophage; burst-forming unit-erythrocyte; CFU-granulocyte, erythrocyte, macrophage, megakaryocyte; and the CFU-megakaryocyte. The overall progenitor cell cloning efficiency of this subpopulation was greater than 31%. By contrast, the CD34+ HLA-DR- SR-1+ cell population contained fewer of these more differentiated progenitor cells but exclusively contained the more primitive progenitor cells, the BFU-megakaryocyte, high proliferative potential-colony-forming cell, and long-term bone marrow culture-initiating cell. The overall progenitor cell cloning efficiency of this subpopulation was greater than 7%. Both the CD34+ HLA-DR- and CD34+ HLA-DR+ cell subpopulations lacking KR expression contained few assayable hematopoietic progenitor cells. Long-term bone marrow cultures initiated with CD34+ HLA-DR- SR-1+ but not CD34+ HLA-DR- SR-1- cells, which were repeatedly supplemented with c-kit ligand (KL) and interleukin-3, generated assayable progenitor cells of at least 2 lineages for 10 weeks. These experiments demonstrate the expression of the KR throughout the hierarchy of human hematopoietic progenitor cell development. We conclude from our data that the KL and KR play a pivotal role in cytokine regulation of both the primitive and more differentiated human hematopoietic progenitor cells.     

STK-1, the human homolog of Flk-2/Flt-3, is selectively expressed in CD34+ human bone marrow cells and is involved in the proliferation of early progenitor/stem cells.

We cloned the cDNA for stem cell tyrosine kinase 1 (STK-1), the human homolog of murine Flk-2/Flt-3, from a CD34+ hematopoietic stem cell-enriched library and investigated its expression in subsets of normal human bone marrow. The cDNA encodes a protein of 993 aa with 85% identity and 92% similarity to Flk-2/Flt-3. STK-1 is a member of the type III receptor tyrosine kinase family that includes KIT (steel factor receptor), FMS (colony-stimulating factor 1R), and platelet-derived growth factor receptor. STK-1 expression in human blood and marrow is restricted to CD34+ cells, a population greatly enriched for stem/progenitor cells. Anti-STK-1 antiserum recognizes polypeptides of 160 and 130 kDa in several STK-1-expressing cell lines and in 3T3 cells transfected with a STK-1 expression vector. Antisense oligonucleotides directed against STK-1 sequences inhibited hematopoietic colony formation, most strongly in long-term bone marrow cultures. These data suggest that STK-1 may function as a growth factor receptor on hematopoietic stem and/or progenitor cells.     

Induction of hematopoietic commitment and erythromyeloid differentiation in embryonal stem cells constitutively expressing c-myb

To provide insight into the mechanisms by which c-myb regulates hematopoiesis, we analyzed the expression of markers for multiple hematopoietic lineages in differentiating parental embryonic stem (ES) cells and in ES cells transfected with c-myb or with a mutant c-myb deficient in DNA binding and assessed the ability of these cells to undergo hematopoietic commitment and colony formation. Undifferentiated ES cells transfected with intact c-myb, but not cells transfected with mutant c-myb, expressed CD34, c-kit, GATA1, and flt3 mRNA as well as surface CD34, c-kit, and flt3 product. In contrast, the kinetics of GATA-2 mRNA expression was identical in parental and Myb-transfected ES cells. Transient expression assays suggested transactivation of gene expression dependent on interaction with Myb binding sites in the CD34 and GATA1 5' flanking regions. Undifferentiated parental and c-myb mutant-transfected ES cells were not clonogenic, whereas c-myb transfectants formed erythromyeloid colonies in methylcellulose cultures in the absence of added hematopoietic growth factors and, at higher frequency, in the presence of kit and flt-3 ligands. Colony formation was suppressed by treatment with antisense oligodeoxynucleotides specifically downregulating c-kit and flt-3 expression. These findings indicate that c-myb regulates hematopoietic commitment and progenitor cell proliferation and differentiation through the activation of certain genes that define the stem/progenitor cell compartment.     

Reversibility of CD34 expression on human hematopoietic stem cells that retain the capacity for secondary reconstitution

The cell surface protein CD34 is frequently used as a marker for positive selection of human hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells in research and in transplantation. However, populations of reconstituting human and murine stem cells that lack cell surface CD34 protein have been identified. In the current studies, we demonstrate that CD34 expression is reversible on human hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. We identified and functionally characterized a population of human CD45(+)/CD34(-) cells that was recovered from the bone marrow of immunodeficient beige/nude/xid (bnx) mice 8 to 12 months after transplantation of highly purified human bone marrow-derived CD34(+)/CD38(-) stem/progenitor cells. The human CD45(+) cells were devoid of CD34 protein and mRNA when isolated from the mice. However, significantly higher numbers of human colony-forming units and long-term culture-initiating cells per engrafted human CD45(+) cell were recovered from the marrow of bnx mice than from the marrow of human stem cell-engrafted nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient mice, where 24% of the human graft maintained CD34 expression. In addition to their capacity for extensive in vitro generative capacity, the human CD45(+)/CD34(-) cells recovered from the bnx bone marrow were determined to have secondary reconstitution capacity and to produce CD34(+) progeny following retransplantation. These studies demonstrate that the human CD34(+) population can act as a reservoir for generation of CD34(-) cells. In the current studies we demonstrate that human CD34(+)/CD38(-) cells can generate CD45(+)/CD34(-) progeny in a long-term xenograft model and that those CD45(+)/CD34(-) cells can regenerate CD34(+) progeny following secondary transplantation. Therefore, expression of CD34 can be reversible on reconstituting human hematopoietic stem cells.     

Normal and leukemic hematopoietic cells manifest differential sensitivity to inhibitory effects of c-myb antisense oligodeoxynucleotides: an in vitro study relevant to bone marrow purging.

The c-myb protooncogene is preferentially expressed in hematopoietic cells, and its encoded protein, Myb, is required for hematopoietic cell proliferation. To analyze the relative Myb dependence of normal and leukemic human hematopoietic progenitor cells, normal bone marrow cells, several types of leukemic blast cells, and 1:1 mixtures of normal and leukemic cells were cultured in the presence of c-myb sense or antisense oligodeoxynucleotides; cell viability and cloning efficiency were then assessed. c-myb sense oligomers had negligible effects on normal and leukemic cells. In contrast, c-myb antisense oligomers strongly inhibited or completely abolished clonogenic growth of a T-cell leukemia line, 78% (18 of 23) of primary acute myelogenous leukemia cases examined, and 4 of 5 primary chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) cases in blast crisis. In three of the latter patients, polymerase chain reaction analysis of a 1:1 mixture of c-myb antisense-treated normal and CML cells revealed a complete absence of bcr-abl expression, suggesting that the CML clonogenic units had been completely eliminated from the cultures. At antisense doses that inhibited leukemic cell growth, normal hematopoietic progenitor cells survived. Thus, normal and leukemic hematopoietic cells show differential sensitivity to the toxic effects of c-myb antisense DNA. Perturbation of c-myb function with antisense oligodeoxynucleotides might eventually form the basis for a molecular approach to leukemia therapy, perhaps most immediately as ex vivo bone marrow purging agents.     

Peripheral blood progenitor cell (PBPC) counts during steady-state hematopoiesis allow to estimate the yield of mobilized PBPC after filgrastim (R-metHuG-CSF)-supported cytotoxic chemotherapy [see comments]

Peripheral blood progenitor cells (PBPC) can be mobilized using cytotoxic chemotherapy and cytokines. There is a substantial variability in the yield of hematopoietic progenitor cells between patients. We were looking for predictive parameters indicating a patient's response to a given mobilization regimen. Multiparameter flow- cytometry analysis and clonogenic assays were used to examine the hematopoietic progenitor cells in bone marrow (BM) and peripheral blood (PB) before filgrastim (R-metHuG-CSF; Amgen, Thousand Oaks, CA)- supported chemotherapy and in PB and leukapheresis products (LPs) in the recovery phase. Fifteen patients (four with high-grade non- Hodgkin's lymphoma [NHL], two with low-grade NHL, two with Hodgkin's disease, two with multiple myeloma, three with breast cancer, one with ovarian cancer, and one with germ cell tumor) were included in this study. The comparison of immunofluorescence plots showed a homogenous population of strongly CD34+ cells in steady-state and mobilized PB whereas in steady-state BM, the CD34+ cells ranged from strongly positive with continuous transition to the CD34- population. Consistent with the similarity in CD34 antigen expression, a correlation analysis showed steady-state PB CD34+ cells (r = .81, P < .001) and colony- forming cells (CFCs; r = .69, P < .01) to be a measure of a patient's mobilizable CD34+ cell pool. Individual estimates of progenitor cell yields could be calculated. With a probability of 95%, eg, 0.4 steady- state PB CD34+ cells x 10(6)/L allowed to collect in six LPs 2.5 x 10(6) CD34+ cells/kg, the reported threshold-dose of progenitor cells required for rapid and sustained engraftment after high-dose therapy. For the total steady-state BM CD34+ cell population, a weak correlation (r = .57, P < .05) with the mobilized CD34+ cells only became apparent when an outlier was removed from the analysis. Neither the CD34+ immunologic subgroups defined by the coexpression of the myeloid lineage-associated antigens CD33 or CD45-RA or the phenotypically primitive CD34+/HLA-DR- subset nor the BM CFC count had a predictive value for the mobilization outcome. This may be caused by the additional presence of maturing progenitor cells in BM, which express lower levels of the CD34 antigen and do not circulate. Our results permit us to recognize patients who are at risk to collect low numbers of progenitor cells and those who are likely to achieve sufficient or high progenitor cell yields even before mobilization chemotherapy is administered.     

The "common stem cell" hypothesis reevaluated: human fetal bone marrow contains separate populations of hematopoietic and stromal progenitors

There is a long-standing controversy as to whether a single bone marrow (BM)-derived cell can differentiate along both hematopoietic and stromal lineages. Both primitive hematopoietic and stromal progenitor cells in human BM express the CD34 antigen but lack expression of other surface markers, such as CD38. In this study we examined the CD34+, CD38- fraction of human fetal BM by multiparameter fluorescence- activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis and single-cell sorting. CD34+, C38- cells could be divided into HLA-DR+ and HLA-DR- fractions. After single-cell sorting, 59% of the HLA-DR+ cells formed hematopoietic colonies. In contrast, the CD34+, CD38-, HLA-DR- cells were much more heterogeneous with respect to their light scatter properties, expression of other hematopoietic markers (CD10, CD36, CD43, CD49b, CD49d, CD49e, CD50, CD62E, CD90w, CD105, and CD106), and growth properties. Single CD34+, CD38-, HLA-DR- cells sorted into individual culture wells formed either hematopoietic or stromal colonies. The presence or absence of CD50 (ICAM-3) expression distinguished hematopoietic from stromal progenitors within the CD34+, CD38-, HLA-DR- population. The CD50+ fraction had light scatter characteristics and growth properties of hematopoietic progenitor cells. In contrast, the CD50- fraction lacked hematopoietic progenitor activity but contained clonogenic stromal progenitors at a mean frequency of 5%. We tested the hypothesis that cultures derived from single cells with the CD34+, CD38- , HLA-DR- phenotype could differentiate along both a hematopoietic and stromal lineage. The cultures contained a variety of mesenchymal cell types and mononuclear cells that had the morphologic appearance of histiocytes. Immunophenotyping of cells from these cultures indicated a stromal rather than a hematopoietic origin. In addition, the growth of the histiocytic cells was independent of the presence or the absence of hematopoietic growth factors. Based on sorting more than 30,000 single cells with the CD34+, CD38-, HLA-DR- phenotype into individual culture wells, and an analysis of 864 stromal cultures initiated by single CD34+ BM cells, this study does not support the hypothesis of a single common progenitor for both hematopoietic and stromal lineages within human fetal BM.     

Granzyme B and perforin lytic proteins are expressed in CD34+ peripheral blood progenitor cells mobilized by chemotherapy and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor

Granzyme B and perforin are cytoplasmic granule-associated proteins used by cytotoxic T lymphocytes and natural killer (NK) cells to kill their targets. However, granzyme B gene expression has also been detected in a non-cytotoxic hematopoietic murine multipotent stem cell line, FDCP-Mix. The objective of the present study was to investigate whether granzyme B and perforin could be expressed in human hematopoietic CD34+ cells and if present, discover what their physiologic relevance could be. The primitive CD34+ human cell line KG1a was investigated first and was found to express granzyme B and perforin. Highly purified hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells were then selected using the CD34 surface antigen as marker. Steady-state bone marrow (BM) CD34+ cells did not contain these proteins. Peripheral blood (PB) CD34+ cells, which had been induced to circulate, were also analyzed. After chemotherapy (CT) and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) treatment, CD34+ cells strongly expressed mRNAs and proteins of granzyme B and perforin. In contrast, CD34+ cells mobilized by G-CSF alone were negative. Western blot analysis further showed that granzyme B and perforin proteins were identical in CD34+ cells and activated PBLs. Such proteins might be implicated in the highly efficient migration of CD34+ stem/progenitor cells from BM to PB after CT and G-CSF treatment. The cellular adhesion mechanisms involved in the BM homing of CD34+ cells are disrupted at least temporarily after CT. The Asp-ase proteolytic activity of granzyme B on extracellular matrix proteins could be used by progenitor cells for their rapid detachment from BM stromal cells and perforin might facilitate their migration across the endothelial cell barrier.     

Selection based on CD133 and high aldehyde dehydrogenase activity isolates long-term reconstituting human hematopoietic stem cells

The development of novel cell-based therapies requires understanding of distinct human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell populations. We recently isolated reconstituting hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) by lineage depletion and purification based on high aldehyde dehydrogenase activity (ALDH(hi)Lin- cells). Here, we further dissected the ALDH(hi)-Lin- population by selection for CD133, a surface molecule expressed on progenitors from hematopoietic, endothelial, and neural lineages. ALDH(hi)CD133+Lin- cells were primarily CD34+, but also included CD34-CD38-CD133+ cells, a phenotype previously associated with repopulating function. Both ALDH(hi)CD133-Lin- and ALDH(hi)CD133+Lin- cells demonstrated distinct clonogenic progenitor function in vitro, whereas only the ALDH(hi)CD133+Lin- population seeded the murine bone marrow 48 hours after transplantation. Significant human cell repopulation was observed only in NOD/SCID and NOD/SCID beta2M-null mice that received transplants of ALDH(hi)CD133+Lin- cells. Limiting dilution analysis demonstrated a 10-fold increase in the frequency of NOD/SCID repopulating cells compared with CD133+Lin- cells, suggesting that high ALDH activity further purified cells with repopulating function. Transplanted ALDH(hi)CD133+Lin- cells also maintained primitive hematopoietic phenotypes (CD34+CD38-) and demonstrated enhanced repopulating function in recipients of serial, secondary transplants. Cell selection based on ALDH activity and CD133 expression provides a novel purification of HSCs with long-term repopulating function and may be considered an alternative to CD34 cell selection for stem cell therapies.     

Sustained, retransplantable, multilineage engraftment of highly purified adult human bone marrow stem cells in vivo

Data from many laboratory and clinical investigations indicate that CD34+ cells comprise approximately 1% of human bone marrow (BM) mononuclear cells, including the progenitor cells of all the lymphohematopoietic lineages and lymphohematopoietic stem cells (stem cells). Because stem cells are an important but rare cell type in the CD34+ cell population, investigators have subdivided the CD34+ cell population to further enrich stem cells. The CD34+/CD38- cell subset comprises less than 10% of human CD34+ adult BM cells (equivalent to < 0.1% of marrow mononuclear cells), lacks lineage (lin) antigens, contains cells with in vitro replating capacity, and is predicted to be highly enriched for stem cells. The present investigation tested whether the CD34+/CD38- subset of adult human marrow generates human hematopoiesis after transfer to preimmune fetal sheep. CD34+/ CD38- cells purified from marrow using immunomagnetic microspheres or fluorescence-activated cell sorting generated easily detectable, long- term, multilineage human hematopoiesis in the human-fetal sheep in vivo model. In contrast, transfer of CD34+/CD38+ cells to preimmune fetal sheep generated only short-term human hematopoiesis, possibly suggesting that the CD34+/CD38+ cell population contains relatively early multipotent hematopoletic progenitor cells, but not stem cells. This work extends the prior in vitro evidence that the earliest cells in fetal and adult human marrow lack CD38 expression. In summary, the CD34+/ CD38- cell population has a high capacity for long-term multilineage hematopoietic engraftment, suggesting the presence of stem cells in this minor adult human marrow cell subset.     

The heparin binding PECAM-1 adhesion molecule is expressed by CD34+ hematopoietic precursor cells with early myeloid and B-lymphoid cell phenotypes

The platelet-endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PE-CAM-1), defined by the CD31 monoclonal antibody (MoAb), was initially described as a cell-cell adhesion molecule mediating both homotypic and heterotypic adhesion. In this report, we show that enriched CD34+ human hematopoietic progenitor cell populations, containing early myeloid, erythroid, and multipotential progenitor cells, are CD31+. Analyses of CD34+ cell lines representing early myeloid, multipotential, and pre- pre-B-lymphoid progenitors indicate that precursors of both myeloid and B-lymphoid cells express PECAM-1 at high levels. Three-color flow- cytometric analyses also show that normal human bone marrow CD31+ CD34+ subsets coexpress myeloid (CD33) or B-lymphoid (CD19, CD10) markers. Except for the monocytic cell line, U937, all CD34- cell lines tested, which represent more mature stages of the myeloid, erythroid, and lymphoid lineages, expressed substantially lower or negligible levels of PECAM-1. Western blotting studies indicated that the CD31 MoAb, JC/70A, detected molecules in the 120- to 140-kD molecular weight range on the monocytic CD34- CD33+ CD31+ cell line, U937; on the CD34+ CD31+ CD33+ CD19- multipotential/lymphomyeloid precursor cell lines, KG1 and KG1B; on the CD34+ CD31+ CD19+ CD10+ CD33- precursor pre-pre-B-cell line, MIK-ALL; and on a CD34(+)-enriched precursor cell population from normal human bone marrow. A single molecular weight species was generally observed with enriched membrane preparations, whereas two PECAM-1 molecules were present in whole-cell lysates of cell lines and the CD34+ bone marrow cell subset. Preliminary studies show that a proportion of the PECAM-1 molecules on the lymphomyeloid/multipotential progenitor cell line, KG1, and on the monocytic cell line, U937, binds to heparin-sepharose. A soluble form of PECAM-1 also binds heparin- sepharose. The high level of expression of PECAM-1 on CD34+ cells suggests that this glycoprotein may function as a heterotypic adhesion molecule, possibly mediating multipotential, myeloid, and early-B- lymphoid precursor cell interactions with stromal cells and extracellular matrix molecules via heparan sulfate proteoglycans. It may also act as a homotypic adhesion molecule by interacting with PECAM- 1 on bone marrow stromal macrophage-like cells and endothelial cells or on endothelial cells during stem/progenitor cell migration. Thus, this molecule has the potential importance of directing both lineage commitment and trafficking of early hematopoietic progenitor cells.     

Hematopoietic capability of CD34+ cord blood cells: a comparison with CD34+ adult bone marrow cells

The characteristics of hematopoietic progenitor and stem cell (HPC/HSC) populations in mammals vary according to their ontogenic stage. In humans, HPC/HSCs from umbilical cord blood (CB) are increasingly used as an alternative to HPC/HSCs from adult bone marrow (BM) for the treatment of various hematologic disorders. How the hematopoietic activity of progenitor and stem cells in CB differs from that in adult BM remains unclear, however. We compared CD34+ cells, a hematopoietic cell population, in CB with those in adult BM using phenotypic subpopulations analyzed by flow cytometry, the colony-forming activity in methylcellulose clonal cultures, and the repopulating ability of these cells in NOD/Shi-scid (NOD/SCID) mice. Although the proportion of CD34+ cells was higher in adult BM than in CB mononuclear cells, the more immature subpopulations, CD34+ CD33- and CD34+ CD38- cells, were present in higher proportions in CD34+ CB cells. Clonal culture assay showed that more multipotential progenitors were present in CD34+ CB cells. When transplanted into NOD/SCID mice. CD34+ adult BM cells could not reconstitute human hematopoiesis in recipient BM, but CD34+ CB cells achieved a high level of engraftment, indicating that CD34+ CB cells possess a greater repopulating ability. These results demonstrated that human hematopoiesis changes with development from fetus to adult. Furthermore, CD34+ CB cells contained a greater number of primitive hematopoietic cells, including HSCs, than did adult BM, suggesting the usefulness of CD34+ CB cells not only as a graft for therapeutic HSC transplantation but also as a target cell population for ex vivo expansion of transplantable HSCs and for gene transfer in gene therapy.     

Expression of lineage markers by CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells of adult mice

OBJECTIVE: By using a murine transplantation model, we studied the relationship between CD34 expression and expression of CD4 and Mac-1 by hematopoietic stem cells of normal adult mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cells from Ly-5.1 C57BL/6 mice were used as test cells and lethally irradiated Ly-5.2 mice were used as recipient mice. Peripheral blood was obtained 6 months posttransplantation to analyze engraftment of donor-derived cells. RESULTS: First, we determined that CD34- long-term reconstituting cells are CD4-, while some CD34+ stem cells express CD4. We then studied Mac-1 expression. Mac-1(-) and Mac-1(low) populations of both CD34- and CD34+ cells were capable of long-term reconstitution. Mac-1(high) population of CD34+ cells but not of CD34- cells also engrafted. CONCLUSIONS: These results strongly indicate that depletion of Mac-1(+) and CD4(+) cells in stem cell purification may inadvertently discard significant populations of CD34+ stem cells. Since positive selection based on CD34 expression is the current practice for purification of human stem cells, our studies may possess implications in the purification of human hematopoietic stem cells.     

Expression of homing-associated cell adhesion molecule (H-CAM/CD44) on human CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells

We investigated the expression of CD44 molecule on CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells. Significantly lower expression of CD44 was observed on bone marrow (BM) CD34+ cells compared with circulating CD34+ cells in cord blood and peripheral blood. Using fluorescence-activated cell sorting, human CD34+ BM cells were fractionated into CD44+ and CD44- populations. Immunofluorescence analysis revealed that the majority of CD34+CD44- cells expressed B-lymphocyte-associated CD10 and CD19 antigens, whereas only a part of CD34+CD44+ cells were positive for CD19. Myeloid and erythroid progenitor cells were found predominantly in CD34+ CD44+ cell fractions. In short-term suspension cultures, cell proliferation and G1-->S transition in the cell cycle were enhanced in CD34+CD44+ cells. In contrast, a large part of CD34+CD44- cells underwent apoptotic cell death. Although co-culture with BM stromal cells could partially prevent CD34+CD44- cells from undergoing apoptosis, significant increase of apoptotic cells was consistently observed. Furthermore, CD34+CD44- cells plated on BM stromal cells could differentiate into CD34-CD44-CD10-CD19+ cells. These findings suggest that CD34+CD44- cells expressing CD19 would represent unique B-lymphocyte-committed precursors in BM, which might undergo apoptotic cell death in the early steps of B-cell differentiation.     

CD34+ progenitor cells from asymptomatic patients are not a major reservoir for human immunodeficiency virus-1

Controversy exists as to whether hematopoietic progenitor cells are infected by human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) in vivo. Most studies have focused on patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)/AIDS-related complex, and little data are available on asymptomatic patients with well preserved CD4+ T-cell counts. To determine if CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells are infected early in the course of HIV-1 disease, we evaluated 10 asymptomatic HIV-1 seropositive (HIV-1+) patients. The CD34+ cell fraction was purified by a two-step procedure consisting of both affinity chromatography and fluorescence-activated cell sorting that resulted in a median purity of over 99%. Using conventional and nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays, we evaluated the presence and frequency of HIV-1 proviral DNA. Both bone marrow mononuclear cells and CD34- cells from all 10 patients were strongly positive for the HIV-1 pol and/or gag gene sequences. In contrast, sorted CD34+ cells from only two of 10 patients were positive, and the number of copies of proviral DNA in these samples was estimated to be from 2 to 5 per 250,000 cells. To test the in vitro functional capacity of CD34+ progenitors, these cells were assayed in both methylcellulose and long-term stromal culture. We found no significant reduction in the number of colony-forming unit-erythroid (CFU-E), burst-forming unit-erythroid (BFU-E), or colony-forming unit- granulocyte macrophage (CFU-GM) colonies, or in the frequency of cobblestone area forming cells from limit dilution analysis in HIV-1+ asymptomatic patients. Pooled methylcellulose colonies generated from CD34+ cells were HIV-1- in nine of 10 samples. All progeny from long- term cultures of CD34+ cells were HIV-1-. We conclude that the CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor compartment is not infected in the majority of asymptomatic HIV-1+ patients, and that these cells may represent a suitable target for strategies designed to protect developing CD4+ T cells from infection.     

Characterization of murine CD34, a marker for hematopoietic progenitor and stem cells

CD34 is expressed on human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, and its clinical usefulness for the purification of stem cells has been well established. However, a similar pattern of expression for murine CD34 (mCD34) has not yet been determined. Two polyclonal anti-mCD34 antibodies that specifically recognize both endogenous and recombinant murine CD34 were developed to characterize the mCD34 protein and to determine its pattern of expression on murine cell lines and hematopoietic progenitor cells. Fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis showed that mCD34 is expressed on NIH/3T3 embryonic fibroblasts, PA6 stromal cells, embryonic stem cells, M1 leukemia cells, and a subpopulation of normal bone marrow cells. Murine CD34 was found to be a glycoprotein expressed on the cell surface as either a full-length (approximately 100 kD) or truncated (approximately 90 kD) protein in NIH/3T3 and PA6 cells. Recombinant full-length CD34, when expressed in the CHO-K1 cell line, had a molecular weight of approximately 105 kD. Full-length CD34 expressed on M1 leukemia cells, had a higher apparent molecular weight (110 kD). These results suggest that there are glycosylation differences between CD34 expressed by different cell types. The full-length form, but not the truncated form, is a phosphoprotein that is hyperphosphorylated in response to 12-0- Tetradecanoyl phorbol 13-acetate treatment, suggesting potential functional differences between the two forms. Selection of the 3% highest-expressing CD34+ bone marrow cells enriched for the hematopoietic precursors that form colony-forming unit-spleen (CFU-S), CFU-granulocyte-macrophage, and burst-forming unit-erythroid. Transplantation of lethally irradiated mice with these cells demonstrated both short- and long-term repopulating ability, indicating that this population contains both functional hematopoietic progenitors and the putative stem cell. These antibodies should be useful to select for murine hematopoietic stem cells.     

CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells are not a major reservoir of the human immunodeficiency virus.

Hematologic abnormalities occur in the majority of patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Infection of the hematopoietic progenitor cells has been proposed as a potential explanation. In this study, different bone marrow cell populations, including the CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells, were purified by a fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS) and analyzed for the presence of human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) proviral DNA using the polymerase chain reaction. A group of 14 patients with AIDS or AIDS-related complex (ARC) was studied (11 with peripheral blood cytopenias). The CD4+ helper cells in the bone marrow were found positive for HIV-1 DNA in all patients. In contrast, CD34+ progenitor cells were positive in only one patient. Two monocyte samples and two samples of CD4-/CD34- lymphocytes/blasts (mainly B and CD8 lymphocytes) were positive. Proviral DNA could not be detected in granulocytes. FACS analysis showed that the percentage of CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells was not altered in the bone marrow of AIDS patients in comparison with the HIV-1 seronegative controls. In contrast, the number of CD4+ lymphocytes was markedly reduced in the bone marrow of AIDS patients. These results show that the hematologic abnormalities in AIDS patients are neither explained by direct infection of the hematopoietic progenitor cells with HIV-1 nor by a depletion of progenitor cells.