C/EBPβ Isoforms Distinctively and Collaboratively Regulate the Behavior of Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells in Regenerative Conditions

CCAAT Enhancer Binding Protein b (C/EBPb) is a leucine zipper type transcription factor. While C/EBPa plays a critical role in maintaining steady-state granulopoiesis, C/EBPb is required for stress-induced granulopoiesis (Hirai et al., 2006). We have been focusing on the functions of C/EBPb in the regulation of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) especially under stressed conditions. Last year in this meeting, we have shown that 1) C/EBPb was upregulated at protein level in HSPCs after hematopoietic stresses, 2) C/EBPb was required for initial expansion of HSPCs after transplantation, and 3) C/EBPb promoted exhaustion of HSPCs under repetitive hematopoietic stresses (56^th ASH, abstract #67850). Here, we further investigated the significance of C/EBPb in cell cycle regulation of HSPCs and the distinct roles of C/EBPb isoforms in HSPCs during regenerative conditions.

   To clarify the involvement of C/EBPb in cell cycle regulation of HSPCs, we compared the cell cycle status of wild-type (WT) and Cebpb knockout (KO) HSPCs by intracellular Ki67 staining and short-term BrdU incorporation assay in combination with multi-color flow cytometric analysis. In order to exclude the difference in the bone marrow microenvironment, CD45.2⁺ WT or Cebpb KO bone marrow (BM) cells were transplanted into lethally irradiated CD45.1⁺ WT mice. At steady state (12 weeks after the BM transplantation), the cell cycle status of Cebpb KO HSPCs was identical to that of WT HSPCs. Then cell cycle status of HSPCs was assessed at various time points during regeneration after intraperitoneal administration of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU, 150mg/kg). We found that significantly more Cebpb KO HSPCs remained in the G0 phase than WT HSPCs (in LT-HSCs on days 3-10; in MPPs on days 6-12). Significantly less Cebpb KO HSPCs were BrdU⁺ and were in the S/G2/M phase on day 7. These findings suggest that C/EBPb, in a cell-intrinsic manner, facilitates cell cycle entry, progression and consequent earlier expansion of HSPCs in response to hematopoietic stresses.

Next, we investigated the distinct roles of C/EBPb isoforms in regulation of HSPCs. C/EBPb is a unique single exon gene and utilization of three different initiating codons result in three distinct isoforms. Liver-enriched activating protein * (LAP*) and LAP are the longer isoforms containing transactivating domains, DNA binding and dimerization domains, and liver-enriched inhibitory protein (LIP) is the shortest isoform which lacks the transactivating domains. In order to examine the expression pattern of C/EBPb isoforms in vivo in scarce populations of regenerating HSPCs, we developed a novel flow cytometric method to distinguish the cells predominantly expressing shorter isoform (LIP) from the cells expressing both LIP and the longer isoforms (LAP* and LAP) by intracellular double staining. Using this method, we found that predominantly LIP-expressing cells transiently emerged within MPP fraction in the regenerating bone marrow (on days 5-6 after administration of 5-FU, Figure below), while overall C/EBPb expression levels were significantly upregulated in most cells.

   To examine the roles of respective C/EBPb isoforms in regulation of HSPCs, EML cells, a murine hematopoietic stem cell line, were retrovirally transduced with one of the C/EBPb isoforms and the transduced cells were subjected to further analysis (vectors are kind gifts from Dr Watanabe-Okouchi N and Dr Kurokawa M, Tokyo Univ). LIP-expressing EML cells were more proliferative and actively cycling than EML cells transduced with a control vector, whereas the proliferation of LAP*- or LAP-expressing cells were markedly suppressed. LIP-expressing cells remained undifferentiated status (c-kit^high CD11b^-) for more than 2 weeks, while LAP*- or LAP-expressing cells rapidly differentiated into c-kit^low CD11b⁺ myeloid cells and eventually exhausted within a week. These results indicate LIP plays quite distinct roles from LAP* and LAP in regulation of HSPCs.

Collectively, our data suggest that C/EBPb isoforms distinctively and collaboratively regulate HSPCs in regenerative conditions: early transient elevation of LIP contributes to cell cycle activation and rapid expansion of HSPC population, which is in turn converted into supply of mature myeloid cells by more abundant upregulation of LAP* and LAP.