Novel evidence that the P2X1 purinergic receptor-Nlrp3 inflammasome axis orchestrates optimal trafficking of hematopoietic stem progenitors cells

Introduction: Our previous research demonstrated P2X purinergic receptors as important extracellular adenosine triphosphate (eATP) sensing receptors promoting the trafficking of hematopoietic stem progenitor cells (HSPCs). Accordingly, mice deficient in expression of P2X4 and P2X7 receptors turned out to mobilize poorly HSPCs. Similarly, defective expression of these receptors on transplanted HSPCs or in the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment of graft recipient mice led to defective homing, engraftment, and delayed hematopoietic reconstitution. This correlated with decreased activation of intracellular pattern recognition receptor Nlrp3 inflammasome. The P2X receptor family consists of seven purinergic receptors (P2X1-7) and we noticed that in addition to P2X4 and P2X7, HSPCs also highly express rapidly signaling the P2X1 receptor. Therefore, we asked if P2X1 receptor is also involved in HSPCs trafficking.

Material and methods: We employed in vitro and in vivo murine models to study the role of P2X1 receptor blocked on HSPCs or bone marrow microenvironment cells by specific small molecular inhibitor NF499. First, we performed in vitro cell migration assays of bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMNCs) isolated from normal mice that were exposed to NF499 and compared them to unexposed control cells. Next, in experiments in vivo we mobilized mice exposed to NF499 with G-CSF or AMD3100 and compared mobilization to control unexposed animals. Flow cytometry was employed to identify cell populations and clonogenic assays to enumerate the number of mobilized clonogenic progenitors. Similarly, in homing and engraftment experiments BMMNCs or recipient mice were exposed to NF499 and we evaluated homing and engraftment of transplanted cells by enumerating the number of cells labeled with fluorochromes in recipient mice BM and by evaluating the number of clonogenic progenitors in BM and spleen 24 hours and 12 days after transplantation. We also evaluated the potential involvement of Nlrp3 inflammasome in P2X1 receptor-mediated HSPCs trafficking.

Results: We report that the functional P2X1 receptor is highly expressed on murine and human HSPCs. We could demonstrate that the P2X1 receptor promotes the trafficking of murine cells in Nlrp3 inflammasome-dependent manner. Mice after exposure to P2X1 receptor inhibitor poorly mobilized HSPCs from the bone marrow into the peripheral blood. Mice transplanted with BMNNCs exposed to NF499 or recipient mice pretreated with this inhibitor demonstrated defective homing and engraftment as compared to control animals transplanted with cells not exposed to P2X1 inhibitor. Similar effects were noticed for control recipient mice that were not exposed to NF499.

Conclusions: This study demonstrates for the first time the novel role of the P2X1 receptor in HSPCs trafficking in the mouse. Furthermore, it supports an important role of purinergic signaling engaging its downstream target Nlrp3 inflammasome in the mobilization, homing and engraftment of HSPCs.