Core binding factors (CBFs) are heterodimers consisting of a DNA binding subunit (Runx1, Runx2, or Runx3) and a non-DNA binding CBFβ subunit. CBFβ increases the affinity of the Runx subunits for DNA. Embryos deficient for Runx1 or CBFβ die at midgestation with a complete failure of definitive hematopoiesis due to a block in hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) emergence. To examine the role of core binding factors at later stages of hematopoiesis, we generated a hypomorphic Cbfb allele (Cbfbrss), that when carried over a Cbfb null allele (Cbfbrss/−) results in a 3-4 fold reduction in CBFβ protein levels. Although HSCs emerge in Cbfbrss/− animals, fetal T cell development is severely impaired. Here we examined the T cell developmental block in more detail by culturing fetal liver cells from Cbfbrss/− animals on OP9 stromal cells that express the Notch ligand Delta-like-1 (DL1) (
Schmitt and Zúñiga-Pflücker, Immunity 17: 749, 2002
). Fetal livers (E14.5) from Cbfbrss/− animals contained normal numbers of both c-kit+Sca-1+lin- cells and c-kit+IL7r+ lymphoid progenitors. Lin- fetal liver progenitors cultured on OP9-DL1 cells in the presence of IL-7 and Flt3L displayed a growth disadvantage relative to wild type cells, and a block at the double negative 1 (DN1, CD44+ CD25−) stage of T cell development. The T cell defect could be rescued by retroviral transduction of the CBFβ heterodimerization domain into lin- fetal liver cells, but not by a G61A/N104A mutant that cannot bind the Runx subunits. Genes whose expression was decreased in DN1 cells purified from the OP9-DL1 cultures included CD3 and the early T cell transcription factors GATA3 and TCF. Although expression of several Notch pathway genes (Notch1, Hes-1/5, Deltex-1) was mildly decreased, Notch signals were clearly transduced, suggesting that Notch signaling was intact. These data demonstrate that reduced CBFβ levels impair the differentiation of stem cells/progenitors into T cells at the earliest stage of T cell development. This in vitro model will be useful for characterizing the molecular circuitry involving CBFβ in T cell development, and for identifying CBFβ protein partners.
