CD13 is dispensable for normal hematopoiesis and myeloid cell functions in the mouse

The robust and consistent expression of the CD13 cell surface marker on very early as well as differentiated myeloid hematopoietic cells has prompted numerous investigations seeking to define roles for CD13 in myeloid cells. To address the function of myeloid CD13 directly, we created a CD13 null mouse and assessed the responses of purified primary macrophages or DCs from WT and CD13 null animals in cell assays and inflammatory disease models, where CD13 has been implicated previously. We find that mice lacking CD13 develop normally with normal hematopoietic profiles except for an increase in thymic but not peripheral T cell numbers. Moreover, in in vitro assays, CD13 appears to be largely dispensable for the aspects of phagocytosis, proliferation, and antigen presentation that we tested, although we observed a slight decrease in actin-independent erythrocyte uptake. However, in agreement with our published studies, we show that lack of monocytic CD13 completely ablates anti-CD13-dependent monocyte adhesion to WT endothelial cells. In vivo assessment of four inflammatory disease models showed that lack of CD13 has little effect on disease onset or progression. Nominal alterations in gene expression levels between CD13 WT and null macrophages argue against compensatory mechanisms. Therefore, although CD13 is highly expressed on myeloid cells and is a reliable marker of the myeloid lineage of normal and leukemic cells, it is not a critical regulator of hematopoietic development, hemostasis, or myeloid cell function.