%0 Journal Article
%T A multistep computational approach reveals a neuro-mesenchymal cell population in the embryonic hematopoietic stem cell niche.
%A Miladinovic O
%A Canto PY
%A Pouget C
%A Piau O
%A Radic N
%A Freschu P
%A Megherbi A
%A Brujas Prats C
%A Jacques S
%A Hirsinger E
%A Geeverding A
%A Dufour S
%A Petit L
%A Souyri M
%A North T
%A Isambert H
%A Traver D
%A Jaffredo T
%A Charbord P
%A Durand C
%J Development
%V 151
%N 7
%D 2024 Apr 1
%M 38451068
%F 6.862
%R 10.1242/dev.202614
%X The first hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) emerge in the Aorta-Gonad-Mesonephros (AGM) region of the mid-gestation mouse embryo. However, the precise nature of their supportive mesenchymal microenvironment remains largely unexplored. Here, we profiled transcriptomes of laser micro-dissected aortic tissues at three developmental stages and individual AGM cells. Computational analyses allowed the identification of several cell subpopulations within the E11.5 AGM mesenchyme, with the presence of a yet unidentified subpopulation characterized by the dual expression of genes implicated in adhesive or neuronal functions. We confirmed the identity of this cell subset as a neuro-mesenchymal population, through morphological and lineage tracing assays. Loss of function in the zebrafish confirmed that Decorin, a characteristic extracellular matrix component of the neuro-mesenchyme, is essential for HSPC development. We further demonstrated that this cell population is not merely derived from the neural crest, and hence, is a bona fide novel subpopulation of the AGM mesenchyme.