CXCR4-SDF-1 Signaling Mediated up-Regulation of Survivin Expression In Mesenchymal Progenitor Cells Is Critical for Their Proliferation and Maintenance of Osteoblastic Niche

Abstract 941

Hematopoietic stem cells reside in osteoblastic and vascular niches within the bone marrow. The osteoblastic niche is composed of mesenchymal stem cell derived progenitor cells (MPC) and osteoblasts and are the main sources of the CXC chemokine CXCL12/SDF-1 in the bone marrow microenvironment. Several published studies suggest that the interaction between CXCR4 expressed on hematopoietic stem cells with SDF-1 produced in the bone marrow microenvironment is important for their retention in the bone-marrow. However, the role of SDF-CXCR4 signaling in formation and maintenance of osteoblastic niches in the bone marrow is not known. In this study, we examined the role of CXCR4 signaling in MPC proliferation and differentiation and its effects on hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) function. Flow cytometry analysis demonstrated that CXCR4 is expressed on the phenotypically defined MPC. Deletion of CXCR4 in tamoxifen cre inducible CXCR4^flox-flox mice (verified by PCR and flow cytometry; 90% gene deletion and surface CXCR4 expression) results in significantly decreased numbers of Lin^- CD45^- CD31^- Sca-1⁺ ALCAM^- MPC (39±4.2%) and Lin^- CD45^- CD31^- Sca-1^-CD51⁺ osteoblasts (25±2.6%) in bone marrow 15 days after tamoxifen treatment. SDF-1 induced proliferation of CXCR4 deficient MPC was decreased by 4-fold compared to control, measured by the colony forming unit-fibroblast (CFU-F) assay. To determine, whether CXCR4 deficiency in bone marrow stromal cells affects SDF-1 induced HSC proliferation, we cultured FACS sorted wild-type SLAM SKL (10³ cells) on CXCR4 deficient stroma for 5 days and total SLAM SKL cell numbers were counted by flow-cytometey analysis. CXCR4 deficient stroma failed to support optimal HSC proliferation and 48±5.2% less SLAM KSL cells was observed on CXCR4 deficient stroma compared to wild-type stroma. To investigate the mechanisms through which CXCR4-SDF-1 signaling regulates MPC proliferation, we evaluated the effect of SDF-1 treatment on expression of the anti-apoptotic and cell-cycle regulator protein, Survivin, in MPC. Multivariate intracellular flow cytometry demonstrated that Survivin expression increased by 23±4.2% in wild-type MPC after SDF-1 treatment (50ng/ml), however no significant increased was demonstrated in CXCR4 deficient MPC cells. CFU-F formation was reduced by 2.5 fold when the Survivin gene was conditionally deleted in MPC. Moreover, fewer SLAM SKL cells were detected on Survivin deficient stroma compared to wild-type stroma after SDF-1 treatment for 5 days. In conclusion, our data suggest that CXCR4-SDF-1 signaling mediated Survivin expression in MPC is important for their proliferation and maintenance of the bone-marrow hematopoietic niche.