Developing Next Generation Genetics for Understanding Hematopoietic Stem Cell Biology

项目概要： 基于Cre重组酶和Cas9核酸酶的小鼠遗传工具已被应用于细胞/组织特异性 基因敲除和细胞谱系追踪。这些工具能够控制基因表达和基因组 工程来揭示许多系统中的详细生物学。然而，缺乏精确的时空 控制阻碍了这些工具的更广泛应用。在这个建议中，我们将开发一套新的鼠标 基因工具来解决这个问题。然后，我们建议应用这一制度来调查建立 成体骨髓造血干细胞（HSC）库。因为HSC自我更新和分化 骨髓移植是骨髓移植的基础， 诊所。因此，理解HSC生物学具有重要的翻译意义。建立 成人骨髓HSC库对于终生造血是必需的。然而，成年人的骨髓 尚未解决建立HSC库的问题。缺乏适当的遗传工具来研究HSC， 体内克隆水平一直是主要障碍。我们新的遗传工具将允许在克隆水平上追踪HSC in vivo.如果成功的话，这些结果将通过直接解决成人骨骼如何 建立骨髓HSC库。此外，我们提出的新技术将广泛适用于各种 研究领域超越造血，以解决根本问题。

Project Summary: Mouse genetic tools based on Cre recombinase and Cas9 nuclease have been applied for cell/tissue-specific gene knockout and cell lineage tracing. These tools enable control of gene expression and genome engineering to uncover detailed biology in a number of systems. However, the lack of precise spatiotemporal control hinders the broader applications of these tools. In this proposal, we will develop a new set of mouse genetic tools to address this issue. Then we propose to apply this system to investigate the establishment of the adult bone marrow hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) pool in vivo. Because HSCs self-renew and differentiate into all blood cell lineages throughout life, they are the basis for life-saving bone marrow transplantation in clinics. Therefore, understanding HSC biology has important translational implications. The establishment of the adult bone marrow HSC pool is essential for life-long hematopoiesis. However, how the adult bone marrow HSC pool is established has not been addressed. The lack of appropriate genetic tools to study HSCs at the clonal level in vivo has been a major hurdle. Our novel genetic tools will allow tracing HSCs at the clonal level in vivo. If successful, the results will significantly advance the field by directly addressing how the adult bone marrow HSC pool is established. Also, our proposed novel technologies will be widely applicable to various research fields beyond hematopoiesis to address fundamental questions.