LABORATORY RESEARCH Staphylococcus aureus Recognition by Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells via TLR2/MyD88/PGE2 Stimulates Granulopoiesis in Wounds Previously, the authors reported that hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) recruited to S. aureus-infected skin wounds in mice, undergo granulopoiesis, while others have demonstrated their differentiation in vitro after TLR2/MyD88 stimulation. In this study, they examined this pathway in HSPC trafficking and granulopoiesis within S. aureus-infected wounds. [Blood] Abstract The Combined Influence of Substrate Elasticity and Surface-Grafted Molecules on the Ex Vivo Expansion of Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells Because little is known about the effects of the physical microenvironment on hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) expansion, the authors investigated the ex vivo expansion of HSPCs cultured on biomaterials with different elasticities and grafted with different nanosegments. [Biomaterials] Abstract Myeloid/Microglial Driven Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Gene Therapy Corrects a Neuronopathic Lysosomal Disease To improve brain expression via monocyte/microglial specificity, lentiviral vectors (LVs) expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) under ubiquitous phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK) or myeloid-specific promoters were compared in transplanted hematopoietic stem cells. LV-CD11b-GFP gave significantly higher monocyte/B-cell eGFP expression than LV-PGK-GFP or LV-CD18-GFP after six months. [Mol Ther] Full Article | Press Release No Impact of Lentiviral Transduction on Hematopoietic Stem/Progenitor Cell Telomere Length or Gene Expression in the Rhesus Macaque Model Scientists utilized two techniques to examine whether lentivirally-transduced hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells from eight rhesus macaques transplanted 1-13.5 years previously are perturbed at a population level, comparing telomere length as a measure of replicative history and gene expression profile of vector positive versus vector negative cells. [Mol Ther] Abstract Isolation, Characterization and Transplantation of Bone Marrow Derived Cell Component with Hematopoietic Stem Cell Niche Properties Investigators isolated cell complexes based on size fractionation from mouse bone marrow (BM), characterized the derived cells, and transplanted them to irradiated mice. These cell complexes were the origin of both BM mesenchymal stem cells and various hematopoietic lineages when kept in appropriate culture conditions. [Stem Cell Dev] Abstract Human Proangiogenic Circulating Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells Promote Tumor Growth in an Orthotopic Melanoma Xenograft Model The authors previously identified a distinct population of human circulating hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (CHSPCs) in the peripheral blood (PB) and bone marrow, and that their frequency in the PB can correlate with disease state. The proangiogenic subset (pCHSPC) play a role in regulating tumor progression, for they previously demonstrated a statistically significant increase in C32 melanoma growth in NOD.Cg-Prkdc scid injected with human pCHSPCs. In this paper, they provide further evidence that pCHSPCs possess proangiogenic properties. [Angiogenesis] Abstract Do Pluripotent Stem Cells Exist in Adult Mice as Very Small Embryonic Stem Cells? Researchers showed that they could not find very small embryonic stem cells in mouse bone marrow with any of the reported stem cell potentials, specifically for hematopoiesis. [Stem Cell Reports] Full Article | Press Release CLINICAL RESEARCH The Value of Allogeneic and Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Prognostically Favorable Acute Myeloid Leukemia with Double Mutant CEBPA Among 2983 patients analyzed for CEBPA mutational status treated on four HOVON/SAKK and three AMLSG protocols; 124 had acute myeloid leukemia with double mutant CEBPA and achieved first complete remission. Evaluation of the clinical impact of allogeneic and autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation versus chemotherapy was performed by addressing time dependency in the statistical analyses. [Blood] Abstract First-Line Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation of HLA-Matched Sibling Donors Compared with First-Line Ciclosporin and/or Antithymocyte or Antilymphocyte Globulin for Acquired Severe Aplastic Anemia The authors evaluated the effectiveness and adverse events of first-line allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched sibling donors compared to first-line immunosuppressive therapy including ciclosporin and/or antithymocyte or antilymphocyte globulin in patients with acquired severe aplastic anemia. [Cochrane Database Syst Rev] Abstract |