Articles

< Previous         Next >  
RUNX1-205, a novel splice variant of the human RUNX1 gene, has blockage effect on mesoderm–hemogenesis transition and promotion effect during the late stage of hematopoiesis
Wencui Sun1,† , Jiahui Zeng1,† , Jing Chang1,† , Yuan Xue1 , Yonggang Zhang1 , Xu Pan1 , Ya Zhou1 , Mowen Lai1 , Guohui Bian1 , Qiongxiu Zhou1 , Jiaxing Liu1 , Bo Chen1,* , Feng Ma1,2,3,*
1Institute of Blood Transfusion, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College (CAMS & PUMC), Chengdu 610052, China
2State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, Sichuan University, Chengdu 61006, China
3State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, CAMS & PUMC, Tianjin 300020, China
These authors contributed equally to this work.
*Correspondence to:Bo Chen , Email:18980999910@163.com Feng Ma , Email:E-mail: mafeng@hotmail.co.jp
J Mol Cell Biol, Volume 12, Issue 5, May 2020, 386-396,  https://doi.org/10.1093/jmcb/mjaa019
Keyword: mesoderm–hemogenesis transition, hematopoiesis, hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs), RUNX1, mesoderm, embryonic stem cells (ESCs)

Runt-related transcription factor 1 (RUNX1) is required for definitive hematopoiesis; however, the functions of most human RUNX1 isoforms are unclear. In particular, the effects of RUNX1-205 (a novel splice variant that lacks exon 6 in comparison with RUNX1b) on human hematopoiesis are not clear. In this study, a human embryonic stem cell (hESC) line with inducible RUNX1-205 overexpression was established. Analyses of these cells revealed that induction of RUNX1-205 overexpression at early stage did not influence the induction of mesoderm but blocked the emergence of CD34+ cells, and the production of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells was significantly reduced. In addition, the expression of hematopoiesis-related factors was downregulated. However, these effects were abolished when RUNX1-205 overexpression was induced after Day 6 in co-cultures of hESCs and AGM-S3 cells, indicating that the inhibitory effect occurred prior to generation of hemogenic endothelial cells, while the promotive effect could be observed during the late stage of hematopoiesis. This is very similar to that of RUNX1b. Interestingly, the mRNA expression profile of RUNX1-205 during hematopoiesis was distinct from that of RUNX1b, and the protein stability of RUNX1-205 was much higher than that of RUNX1b. Thus, the function of RUNX1-205 in normal and diseased models should be further explored.