Ablation of Wntless in endosteal niches impairs lymphopoiesis rather than HSCs maintenance

Abstract

Osteoblasts and perivascular stromal cells constitute essential niches for HSC self-renewal and maintenance in the bone marrow. Wnt signaling is important to maintain HSC integrity. However, the paracrine role of Wnt proteins in osteoblasts-supported HSC maintenance and differentiation remains unclear. Here, we investigated hematopoiesis in mice with Wntless (Wls) deficiency in osteoblasts or Nestin-positive mesenchymal progenitor cells, which presumptively block Wnt secretion in osteoblasts. We detected defective B-cell lymphopoiesis and abnormal T-cell infiltration in the bone marrow of Wls mutant mice. Notably, no impact on HSC frequency and repopulation in the bone marrow was observed with the loss of osteoblastic Wls. Our findings revealed a supportive role of Wnts in osteoblasts-regulated B-cell lymphopoiesis. They also suggest a preferential niche role of osteoblastic Wnts for lymphoid cells rather than HSCs, providing new clues for the molecular nature of distinct niches occupied by different hematopoietic cells.