Endothelial-specific Gata3 expression is required for hematopoietic stem cell generation

Abstract

To generate sufficient numbers of transplantable hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in vitro, a detailed understanding of how this process takes place in vivo is essential. The endothelial-to-hematopoietic transition (EHT), which culminates in the production of the first HSCs, is a highly complex process during which key regulators are switched on and off at precise moments, and that is embedded into a myriad of microenvironmental signals from surrounding cells and tissues. We have previously demonstrated an HSC-supportive function for GATA3 within the sympathetic nervous system and the sub-aortic mesenchyme, but show here that it also plays a cell-intrinsic role during the EHT. It is expressed in hemogenic endothelial cells and early HSC precursors, where its expression correlates with a more quiescent state. Importantly, endothelial-specific deletion of Gata3 shows that it is functionally required for these cells to mature into HSCs, placing GATA3 at the core of the EHT regulatory network.

Keywords: Cdkn1c; Gata3; aorta-gonads-mesonephros; cell cycle; endothelial-to-hematopoietic transition; hematopoietic stem cell; hemogenic endothelial cells; p57Kip2.