Thrombopoietin inhibits murine mast cell differentiation.
We have recently shown that Mpl, the thrombopoietin receptor, is expressed on murine mast cells and on their precursors and that targeted deletion of the Mpl gene increases mast cell differentiation in mice. Here we report that treatment of mice with thrombopoietin or addition of this growth factor to bone marrow-derived mast cell cultures severely hampers the generation of mature cells from their precursors by inducing apoptosis. Analysis of the expression profiling of mast cells obtained in the presence of thrombopoietin suggests that thrombopoietin induces apoptosis of mast cells by reducing expression of the transcription factor Mitf and its target antiapoptotic gene Bcl2.
Martelli
Fabrizio
F
Hematology, Oncology and Molecular Medicine, Istituto Superiore Sanità, Rome, Italy.
Ghinassi
Barbara
B
Lorenzini
Rodolfo
R
Vannucchi
Alessandro M
AM
Rana
Rosa Alba
RA
Nishikawa
Mitsuo
M
Partamian
Sandra
S
Migliaccio
Giovanni
G
Migliaccio
Anna Rita
AR
D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D008297:Male; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D013926:Thrombopoietin / Q000502:physiology*
D013926:Thrombopoietin