Spinal cord injury causes chronic bone marrow failure

Nat Commun. 2020 Jul 24;11(1):3702. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-17564-z.

Abstract

Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes immune dysfunction, increasing the risk of infectious morbidity and mortality. Since bone marrow hematopoiesis is essential for proper immune function, we hypothesize that SCI disrupts bone marrow hematopoiesis. Indeed, SCI causes excessive proliferation of bone marrow hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC), but these cells cannot leave the bone marrow, even after challenging the host with a potent inflammatory stimulus. Sequestration of HSPCs in bone marrow after SCI is linked to aberrant chemotactic signaling that can be reversed by post-injury injections of Plerixafor (AMD3100), a small molecule inhibitor of CXCR4. Even though Plerixafor liberates HSPCs and mature immune cells from bone marrow, competitive repopulation assays show that the intrinsic long-term functional capacity of HSPCs is still impaired in SCI mice. Together, our data suggest that SCI causes an acquired bone marrow failure syndrome that may contribute to chronic immune dysfunction.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Benzylamines
  • Bone Marrow / metabolism*
  • Bone Marrow / pathology
  • Bone Marrow Cells
  • Bone Marrow Failure Disorders / etiology*
  • Bone Marrow Failure Disorders / pathology
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Chemokine CXCL12
  • Cyclams
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Female
  • Hematopoiesis
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cells / metabolism
  • Heterocyclic Compounds / pharmacology
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Inbred NOD
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Receptors, CXCR4 / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Signal Transduction
  • Spinal Cord Injuries / complications*
  • Spinal Cord Injuries / immunology

Substances

  • Benzylamines
  • CXCR4 protein, mouse
  • Chemokine CXCL12
  • Cyclams
  • Heterocyclic Compounds
  • Receptors, CXCR4
  • plerixafor