{Reference Type}: Journal Article
{Title}: A multistep computational approach reveals a neuro-mesenchymal cell population in the embryonic hematopoietic stem cell niche.
{Author}: Miladinovic O;Canto PY;Pouget C;Piau O;Radic N;Freschu P;Megherbi A;Brujas Prats C;Jacques S;Hirsinger E;Geeverding A;Dufour S;Petit L;Souyri M;North T;Isambert H;Traver D;Jaffredo T;Charbord P;Durand C;
{Journal}: Development
{Volume}: 151
{Issue}: 7
{Year}: 2024 Apr 1
{Factor}: 6.862
{DOI}: 10.1242/dev.202614
{Abstract}: 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.