Non-Lethal Ionizing Radiation Promotes Aging-Like Phenotypic Changes of Human Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells in Humanized Mice

PLoS One. 2015 Jul 10;10(7):e0132041. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0132041. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

Precise understanding of radiation effects is critical to develop new modalities for the prevention and treatment of radiation-induced damage. We previously reported that non-lethal doses of X-ray irradiation induce DNA damage in human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) reconstituted in NOD/Shi-scid IL2rγnull (NOG) immunodeficient mice and severely compromise their repopulating capacity. In this study, we analyzed in detail the functional changes in human HSPCs in NOG mice following non-lethal radiation. We transplanted cord blood CD34+ HSPCs into NOG mice. At 12 weeks post-transplantation, the recipients were irradiated with 0, 0.5, or 1.0 Gy. At 2 weeks post-irradiation, human CD34+ HSPCs recovered from the primary recipient mice were transplanted into secondary recipients. CD34+ HSPCs from irradiated mice showed severely impaired reconstitution capacity in the secondary recipient mice. Of interest, non-lethal radiation compromised contribution of HSPCs to the peripheral blood cells, particularly to CD19+ B lymphocytes, which resulted in myeloid-biased repopulation. Co-culture of limiting numbers of CD34+ HSPCs with stromal cells revealed that the frequency of B cell-producing CD34+ HSPCs at 2 weeks post-irradiation was reduced more than 10-fold. Furthermore, the key B-cell regulator genes such as IL-7R and EBF1 were downregulated in HSPCs upon 0.5 Gy irradiation. Given that compromised repopulating capacity and myeloid-biased differentiation are representative phenotypes of aged HSCs, our findings indicate that non-lethal ionizing radiation is one of the critical external stresses that promote aging of human HSPCs in the bone marrow niche.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

  • Aging / physiology*
  • Animals
  • B-Lymphocytes / metabolism
  • B-Lymphocytes / radiation effects
  • Cell Differentiation / radiation effects
  • Gene Expression Regulation / radiation effects
  • Hematopoiesis / radiation effects
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cells / cytology*
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cells / radiation effects
  • Humans
  • Mice, Inbred NOD
  • Mice, SCID
  • Phenotype
  • Radiation, Ionizing*