title: Thrombopoietin induces HOXA9 nuclear transport in immature hematopoietic cells: potential mechanism by which the hormone favorably affects hematopoietic stem cells.
abstract: Members of the homeobox family of transcription factors are major regulators of hematopoiesis. Overexpression of either HOXB4 or HOXA9 in primitive marrow cells enhances the expansion of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). However, little is known of how expression or function of these proteins is regulated during hematopoiesis under physiological conditions. In our previous studies we demonstrated that thrombopoietin (TPO) enhances levels of HOXB4 mRNA in primitive hematopoietic cells (K. Kirito, N. Fox, and K. Kaushansky, Blood 102:3172-3178, 2003). To extend our studies, we investigated the effects of TPO on HOXA9 in this same cell population. Although overall levels of the transcription factor were not affected, we found that TPO induced the nuclear import of HOXA9 both in UT-7/TPO cells and in primitive Sca-1(+)/c-kit(+)/Gr-1(-) hematopoietic cells in a mitogen-activated protein kinase-dependent fashion. TPO also controlled MEIS1 expression at mRNA levels, at least in part due to phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase activation. Collectively, TPO modulates the function of HOXA9 by leading to its nuclear translocation, likely mediated by effects on its partner protein MEIS1, and potentially due to two newly identified nuclear localization signals. Our data suggest that TPO controls HSC development through the regulation of multiple members of the Hox family of transcription factors through multiple mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of California-San Diego School of Medicine, 402 Dickinson St., Suite 380, San Diego, CA 92103-8811, USA.
authors.forename: Keita
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kirito
authors.forename: Norma
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fox
authors.forename: Kenneth
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kaushansky
mesh_terms: D021581:Active Transport, Cell Nucleus; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008164:Luminescent Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D000075064:Myeloid Ecotropic Viral Integration Site 1 Protein; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D010957:Plasmids / Q000378:metabolism; D011485:Protein Binding; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012260:Ribonucleases / Q000378:metabolism; D013926:Thrombopoietin / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; C090460:HOXB4 protein, human; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; C513262:Hoxb4 protein, mouse; D008164:Luminescent Proteins; C000616391:MEIS1 protein, human; C000616392:Meis1 protein, mouse; D000075064:Myeloid Ecotropic Viral Integration Site 1 Protein; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C097899:homeobox protein HOXA9; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D013926:Thrombopoietin; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D012260:Ribonucleases