C-Cbl Regulates Interaction of Immature Hematopoietic Cells with the Bone Marrow Microenvironment by Rac GTPase-Mediated Cytoskeletal Signals.
Authors: Uehara Eisuke , Suzuki Takahiro , Okabe Hiroshi , Ueda Masuzu , Nagai Tadashi , Sanada Masashi , Ogawa Seishi , Ozawa Keiya 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
Abstract 3643
Poster Board III-579
<Background and purpose>
c-Cbl is a ubiquitin E3 ligase and functions as a negative regulator for signals induced by various activated tyrosine kinases, by promoting ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of these kinases. This inhibitory action is mainly mediated by the tyrosine kinase binding (TKB) and RING finger domains located in the NH3-terminal part of the molecule and these domains are evolutionally well-conserved from nematodes. But mammalian c-Cbl has a stretched structure toward the COOH-terminal end with putative tyrosine residues that can interact with p85 subunit of PI3-kinase, and several reports have denoted that this interaction may be important for cytoskeletal regulation. Recently, mutations of the c-cbl gene have been reported in hematopoietic malignancies, and regulation of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) by Cbl is attracting attention. Since it is well-known that cytoskeletal dysregulation is often associated with malignant transformation, in this study, we investigated cytoskeletal regulatory mechanisms mediated by Cbl in hematopoietic cells, using Cbl deficient mice.

<Methods and results>
To examine the migratory capacity of the HSPCs, lineage negative (Lin(-)) bone marrow cells were set in the Boyden Chamber assay for SDF-1 and fibronectin (FN) were performed. We found that Cbl deficient Lin(-) cells showed significantly decreased migration to these chemoattractants; the migration capacity of the Cbl deficient cells was one eighth for SDF-1 (p = 0.01) and one third for FN (p = 0.007), respectively, compared with the wild-type counterparts. Then, to evaluate in vivo homing ability to the bone marrow microenvironment, transplantation assays were performed. We transplanted 2.5 × 10e6 of Lin(-) HSPCs from Cbl deficient or wild-type Ly5.2 mice into sublethally irradiated wild-type Ly5.1 mice. Three hours after transplantation, chimerism of the transplanted Ly5.2 cells in the bone marrow was examined, and we found that the number of transplanted cells was significantly smaller in Cbl deficient cells, showing that homing capacity of HSPCs in Cbl deficient mice was impaired. Moreover, when we administered G-CSF to Cbl deficient mice, a significantly larger number of Lin(-) Sca1(+) c-Kit(+) cells were mobilized from the bone marrow (p = 0.01), indicating that in Cbl deficient mice, mobilization of HSPCs by G-CSF was also affected. In bone marrow cells or Lin(-) HPSCs of Cbl deficient mice, activity of Rac, a member of small G-protein GTPases, was significantly decreased (p = 0.002). These data ware supported by the experiments with embryonic fibroblast; Rac activities induced by FN stimulation were weaker in Cbl deficient fibroblasts than wild-type ones, and Cbl deficient fibroblasts showed impaired actin rearrangement.

<Discussion>
We found that Cbl deficient HSPCs showed impaired migration activities to chemoattractants and altered homing and mobilization to and from the bone marrow. Furthermore, Cbl deficient cells had impaired activation of Rac. Currently, little is known about the relationship between Cbl-mediated signals and cytoskeletal regulator Rac, and in this study, we found that Cbl is a positive regulator of Rac activity in the bone marrow hematopoietic cells. Rac activity is reported to be necessary for homing and retention of HSPCs in the bone marrow microenvironment, and our results indicate that interaction of HSPCs with the bone marrow microenvironment, e.g. trafficking of these cells, is regulated by Cbl via Rac GTPase signals.

Disclosures:
No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.