Novel FACS strategy for identification of early hematopoietic progenitors including BFU-e, CFU-e and erythroid-biased MPPs

Abstract

We used single-cell RNA-seq and fate potential assays to develop a novel FACS strategy that identifies erythroid-biased multipotent progenitors, and erythroid committed progenitors, directly in freshly isolated mouse bone marrow. It also identifies subsets enriched for progenitors of the basophil/ mast cell lineage or the megakaryocytic lineage. It divides Kit+CD55+ hematopoietic progenitors in mouse bone marrow into five populations, as follows: P1, highly purified CFU-e progenitors, also called Committed Erythroid Progenitors \(CEPs); P2, highly enriched BFU-e progenitors, also called Early Erythroid Progenitors \(EEPs); P2 also contains some CFU-e, and uncommitted progenitors with erythroid/megakaryocytic/basophil potential \(EBMegPs); P3, enriched for basophil/mast cell progenitors; P4, enriched for megakaryocytic progenitors; and P5, containing EBMegPs and erythroid/ megakaryocytc/ basophil-biased MPPs.