Lyn Kinase Supports Primary Erythroid Progenitor Cell Development.

Several lines of investigation have implicated Lyn as an important positive effector of red cell development: Deregulated Src kinases promote erythroleukemia, and Lyn is the predominant Src kinase of erythroid cells; as critical erythropoietic factors, Kit and the Epo receptor each stimulate Lyn kinase; and in an insightful set of investigations in J2E cells, Lyn has been shown to be required for Epo-dependent late erythroid development. Based on these considerations, adult bone marrow-derived primary erythroid progenitor cells from Lyn −/− mice presently were assessed for their ex vivo growth, survival and differentiation potentials. Lyn −/− erythroid progenitors expanded efficiently in serum-free media, and showed essentially wild-type Epo dose-dependent proliferative responsiveness. When transferred to BSA/insulin/transferrin differentiation medium, however, Lyn −/− erythroid progenitor cells clearly faltered in their development to Ter119-high, CD71-low erythroblasts. For these Lyn −/− cells, annexin-V binding studies revealed that this defect was associated, in part, with a stage-specific loss in survival potential. Interestingly, however, this defect was not Epo-dose dependent. In addition, MACS-isolated Kit-positive early erythroid progenitor cells prepared from Lyn −/− mice (unlike preparations from wild-type mice) failed to support synergistic effects of SCF-plus-Epo in 3HdT incorporation assays. In response to phenylhydrazine, Lyn −/− mice exhibited expanded erythroid progenitor cell pools (including BFUe and CFUe), and this hyper-expansion may occur in response to the compromised survival of late Lyn −/− erythroblasts. Analyses of pp60-Src expression revealed elevated levels of activated PY416-Src specifically in Lyn −/− EPC, a finding that is consistent with the activation of apparent compensatory mechanisms. In contrast, no significant changes in the levels of GATA1 or other assessed erythroid defining factors were detected. In response to phenylhydrazine, Lyn −/− mice showed ≥2-fold enhanced splenomegaly, as well as enhanced frequencies of BFUe, CFUe and Ter119(+) cells. Overall, these studies in primary erythroid progenitor cells from Lyn −/− mice reveal a previously undiscovered positive role for Lyn as a late-stage specific positive effector of erythroid cell survival, and regulator of Epo receptor and Kit co-signaling.