Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are heterogeneous with respect to their self-renewal, lineage, and reconstitution potentials. Although c-Kit is required for HSC function, gain and loss-of-function c-Kit mutants suggest that even small changes in c-Kit signaling profoundly affect HSC function. Herein, we demonstrate that even the most rigorously defined HSCs can be separated into functionally di...

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are characterized by their ability to differentiate into all hematopoietic cell lineages while retaining their capacity for self renewal. One of the predictions of this model is the existence of a heterogeneous pool of HSCs, some members of which are destined to become lineage restricted progenitor cells while others function to renew the stem cell pool. To test ...

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in the endosteum of mesoderm-derived appendicular bones have been extensively studied. Neural crest-derived bones differ from appendicular bones in developmental origin, mode of bone formation and pathological bone resorption. Whether neural crest-derived bones harbor HSCs is elusive. Here, we discovered HSC-like cells in postnatal murine mandible, and benchmarke...

The aorta-gonad-mesonephros region plays an important role in hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) development during mouse embryogenesis. The vascular endothelial cadherin⁺ CD45⁺ (VE-cad⁺CD45⁺) population contains the major type of immature pre-HSCs capable of developing into long-term repopulating definitive HSCs. In this study, we developed a new coaggregation culture system, which supports maturat...

BACKGROUND Human cord blood (hCB) is the main source of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSCs/PCs) for transplantation. Efforts to overcome relative shortages of HSCs/PCs have led to technologies to expand HSCs/PCs ex vivo. However, methods suitable for clinical practice have yet to be fully established. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS In this study, we screened biologically active nat...

Abstract Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) hold the unique capacity to restore entire blood system throughout life. To preserve life-long cell functionality, metabolic, epigenetic and transcriptional drivers form complex regulatory networks tightly regulate HSCs. This interplay can be controlled by single metabolites, especially vitamins, instructing those attributes. A non-classical retinoic aci...

Rationale: As the central hallmark of liver fibrosis, transdifferentiation hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), predominant contributor to fibrogenic myofibroblast responsible for extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition, is characterized with transcriptional and epigenetic remodeling. We aimed characterize roles H3K27 methyltransferase EZH2 demethylase JMJD3 identify their effective pathways novel targ...

BACKGROUND Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) have been studied for damaged liver repair; however, the conclusions drawn regarding their homing capacity to the injured liver are conflicting. Besides, the relative utility and synergistic effects of these two cell types on the injured liver remain unclear. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS MSCs, HSCs and the combinat...

Integrins play an important role in haematopoietic stem cell (HSC) maintenance in the bone marrow niche. Here, we demonstrate that Periostin (Postn) via interaction with Integrin-αv (Itgav) regulates HSC proliferation. Systemic deletion of Postn results in peripheral blood (PB) anaemia, myelomonocytosis and lymphopenia, while the number of phenotypic HSCs increases in the bone marrow. Postn-/- ...