The microbiota regulates hematopoietic stem cell fate decisions by controlling iron availability in bone marrow

macrophage microbiota iron axis 1

Zhang et al. were able to show that a microbiota-macrophage-iron axis plays an essential role in regulating Hematopoietic stem cells fate decisions.

Host microbiota crosstalk is essential for the production and functional modulation of blood-cell lineages. However, whether or not the microbiota influences hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), and how, is unclear. In this research they show that the microbiota regulates HSC self-renewal and differentiation under stress conditions by modulating local iron availability in the bone marrow (BM).

In microbiota-depleted mice, HSC self-renewal was enhanced during regeneration, while the commitment toward differentiation was dramatically compromised. Mechanistically, microbiota depletion selectively impaired the recycling of red blood cells (RBCs) by BM macrophages, resulting in reduced local iron levels without affecting systemic iron homeostasis.

Limiting iron availability in food (in vivo) or in culture (ex vivo), or by CD169+ macrophage depletion, enhanced HSC self-renewal and expansion.

These results revealed an intricate interplay between the microbiota, macrophages, and iron, and their essential roles in regulating critical HSC fate decisions under stress.

This topic and many more are to be presented in the 9th Annual World Meeting on Targeting Microbiota, stay tuned.

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Targeting Microbiota 2022 Congress
October 19-21, 2022- Paris, France
www.microbiota-site.com

Microbiota in the Press & Media

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