PUBLICATION
Pdgf signalling guides neural crest contribution to the haematopoietic stem cell specification niche
- Authors
- Damm, E.W., Clements, W.K.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-170411-2
- Date
- 2017
- Source
- Nature cell biology 19(5): 457-467 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Clements, Wilson, Damm, Erich W.
- Keywords
- Cell lineage, Cell migration, Haematopoietic stem cells, Zebrafish
- MeSH Terms
-
- Neural Crest/metabolism*
- Receptor, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor beta/genetics
- Receptor, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor beta/metabolism
- Cell Movement
- Stem Cell Niche*
- PubMed
- 28394883 Full text @ Nat. Cell Biol.
Abstract
Haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) support maintenance of the haematopoietic and immune systems throughout the life of vertebrates, and are the therapeutic component of bone marrow transplants. Understanding native specification of HSCs, to uncover key signals that might help improve in vitro directed differentiation protocols, has been a long-standing biomedical goal. The current impossibility of specifying true HSCs in vitro suggests that key signals remain unknown. We speculated that such signals might be presented by surrounding 'niche' cells, but no such cells have been defined. Here we demonstrate in zebrafish, that trunk neural crest (NC) physically associate with HSC precursors in the dorsal aorta (DA) just prior to initiation of the definitive haematopoietic program. Preventing association of the NC with the DA leads to loss of HSCs. Our results define NC as key cellular components of the HSC specification niche that can be profiled to identify unknown HSC specification signals.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping