title: The chemokine receptor CXCR-4 is expressed on CD34+ hematopoietic progenitors and leukemic cells and mediates transendothelial migration induced by stromal cell-derived factor-1.
abstract: The chemokine stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) and its receptor CXCR-4 (fusin, LESTR) are likely to be involved in the trafficking of hematopoietic progenitor and stem cells, as suggested by the reduced bone marrow hematopoiesis in SDF-1-deficient mice and the chemotactic effect of SDF-1 on CD34+ progenitor cells. Migration of leukemic cells might also depend on the expression of chemokine receptors. Therefore, we analyzed expression of CXCR-4 on mobilized normal CD34+ progenitors and leukemic cells. In addition, SDF-1-induced transendothelial migration across a bone marrow endothelial cell layer was assessed in vitro. By flow cytometry, CXCR-4 was found to be expressed in significant amounts on circulating CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells, including more primitive subsets (CD34+/CD38- and CD34+/Thy-1+ cells). In accordance with the immunofluorescence data, CD34+ progenitors efficiently migrated across endothelium in response to SDF-1 containing conditioned medium from the stromal cell line MS-5. Leukemic blasts (mostly CD34+) from patients with acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) expressed variable amounts of CXCR-4, which was functionally active, as demonstrated by a positive correlation between the SDF-1-induced transendothelial migration and the cell surface density of CXCR-4 (r = 0.97). Also recombinant SDF-1beta induced migration of CXCR-4-positive leukemic blasts. The effect of both conditioned medium and recombinant SDF-1 was inhibited by a CXCR-4 blocking antibody. In contrast, CD34+ leukemic cell lines (KG1, KG1a, Kasumi-1, MOLM-1) expressed low levels or were negative for CXCR-4, and did not migrate. By reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), however, basal levels of CXCR-4 mRNA were also detected in all leukemic cell lines. We conclude that CXCR-4 is expressed on CD34+ cells including more primitive, pluripotent progenitors, and may therefore play a role in the homing of hematopoietic stem cells. CXCR-4 expressed in variable amounts on primary AML leukemic cells is functionally active and may be involved in the trafficking of malignant hematopoietic cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine II, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Möhle
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bautz
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rafii
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Brugger
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kanz
mesh_terms: D018952:Antigens, CD34; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D054377:Chemokine CXCL12; D019743:Chemokines, CXC / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000473:pathology; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007938:Leukemia / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D019718:Receptors, CXCR4 / Q000502:physiology*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D018952:Antigens, CD34; C515255:CXCL12 protein, human; D054377:Chemokine CXCL12; D019743:Chemokines, CXC; D019718:Receptors, CXCR4