Mitochondrial Activity in Dnmt3aR878H Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells Drives Their Selective Advantage and Alters Response to Extrinsic Signaling

ABSTRACT: Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) with certain somatic mutations, most commonly in the DNA methyltransferase DNMT3A, gain a clonal growth advantage leading to the development of clonal hematopoiesis (CH). The distinct functional differences that allow DNMT3A-mutant HSCs to gain a fitness advantage and outcompete wild-type HSC in the context of aging are not fully elucidated. We recently discovered that HSC aging is initiated by decline in local production of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1). Here, we used a mouse model of DNMT3A-mutant CH (Dnmt3aR878H/+) to investigate the extent to which decline in IGF1 alters the selective advantage of Dnmt3aR878H/+ HSCs. Upon transplant into IGF1-deficient recipient mice, Dnmt3aR878H/+ HSCs gained enhanced selective advantage over wild-type HSCs and maintained lineage balanced blood production. As IGF1/mTOR signaling is well understood to regulate energy metabolism, we investigated underlying metabolic differences between Dnmt3aR878H/+ and wild-type HSCs. Dnmt3aR878H/+ HSPCs had similar glycolytic capacity as wild-type HSCs but enhanced mitochondrial reserve capacity and mitochondrial activation potential. To evaluate whether mitochondrial function is a targetable dependency of Dnmt3aR878H/+ HSCs, we administered the mitochondrial-targeted molecule MitoQ resulting in the depletion of their mitochondrial reserve capacity. We find that MitoQ reduces the competitive advantage of Dnmt3aR878H/+ hematopoiesis. To identify the mechanism(s) by which MitoQ alters Dnmt3aR878H/+ phenotypic expansion we evaluated transcriptional changes after MitoQ treatment and find altered response to Igf1/mTOR signaling compared to wild-type HSC. The altered response to Igf1/mTOR signaling in part mediates the Dnmt3aR878H/+ hematopoietic selective advantage. Taken together, our work supports that mitochondrial metabolic regulation is a key mechanism by which DNMT3A-mutant HSCs gain a selective advantage. Targeting this mechanism may maintain polyclonal hematopoiesis during aging and reduce the risk of CH-associated disease.

ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus

PROVIDER: GSE233963 | GEO | 2023/06/23

REPOSITORIES: GEO