Cell Stem Cell
Volume 11, Issue 4, 5 October 2012, Pages 554-566
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Article
Signaling from the Sympathetic Nervous System Regulates Hematopoietic Stem Cell Emergence during Embryogenesis

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stem.2012.07.002Get rights and content
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Summary

The first adult-repopulating hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) emerge in the aorta-gonads-mesonephros (AGM) region of the embryo. We have recently identified the transcription factor Gata3 as being upregulated in this tissue specifically at the time of HSC emergence. We now demonstrate that the production of functional and phenotypic HSCs in the AGM is impaired in the absence of Gata3. Furthermore, we show that this effect on HSC generation is secondary to the role of Gata3 in the production of catecholamines, the mediators of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), thus making these molecules key components of the AGM HSC niche. These findings demonstrate that the recently described functional interplay between the hematopoietic system and the SNS extends to the earliest stages of their codevelopment and highlight the fact that HSC development needs to be viewed in the context of the development of other organs.

Highlights

► Gata3-deficient AGMs have reduced hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) numbers ► Gata3-dependent catecholamine production regulates HSC emergence ► Catecholamines regulate HSC emergence independent of blood flow ► Nascent HSCs express catecholamine receptors

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