Aj. Potocnik et al., Fetal and adult hematopoietic stem cells require beta 1 integrin function for colonizing fetal liver, spleen, and bone marrow, IMMUNITY, 12(6), 2000, pp. 653-663
Homing of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) into hematopoietic organs is a pr
erequisite for the establishment of hematopoiesis during embryogenesis and
after bone marrow transplantation. We show that beta 1 integrin-deficient H
SCs from the para-aortic splanchnopleura and the fetal blood had hematolymp
hoid differentiation potential in vitro and in fetal organ cultures but wer
e unable to seed fetal and adult hematopoietic tissues. Adult beta 1 integr
in null HSCs isolated from mice carrying loxP-tagged beta 1 integrin allele
s and ablated for beta 1 integrin expression by retroviral cre transduction
failed to engraft irradiated recipient mice. Moreover, absence of beta 1 i
ntegrin resulted in sequestration of HSCs in the circulation and their redu
ced adhesion to endothelioma cells. These findings define beta 1 integrin a
s an essential adhesion receptor for the homing of HSCs.