Identification of osteolineage cell-derived extracellular vesicle cargo implicated in hematopoietic support

Osteolineage cell-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) play a regulatory role in hematopoiesis and have been shown to promote the ex vivo expansion of human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). Here, we demonstrate that EVs from different human osteolineage sources do not have the same HSPC expansion promoting potential. Comparison of stimulatory and non-stimulatory osteolineage EVs by next-generation sequencing and mass spectrometry analyses revealed distinct microRNA and protein signatures identifying EV-derived candidate regulators of ex vivo HSPC expansion. Accordingly, the treatment of umbilical cord blood-derived CD34⁺ HSPCs with stimulatory EVs-altered HSPC transcriptome, including genes with known roles in cell proliferation. An integrative bioinformatics approach, which connects the HSPC gene expression data with the candidate cargo in stimulatory EVs, delineated the potentially targeted biological functions and pathways during hematopoietic cell expansion and development. In conclusion, our study gives novel insights into the complex biological role of EVs in osteolineage cell-HSPC crosstalk and promotes the utility of EVs and their cargo as therapeutic agents in regenerative medicine.