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Hungry Hematopoietic Stem Cells during Bacterial Infection: Fatty Acid for Food
1Division of Experimental Hematology and Cancer Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Research Foundation, Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati OH 45229, USA.
Immunometabolism
|May 9, 2022
Summary
Bacterial infections activate hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) by increasing fatty acid uptake. This process, dependent on CD36, fuels HSC metabolism and blood cell production during sepsis.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Cell Biology
- Metabolic Research
Background:
- Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) are crucial for immune responses.
- Understanding HSC metabolic reprogramming during infection is vital.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the metabolic changes in HSC during bacterial infections.
- To identify the mechanisms fueling HSC activation.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of free fatty acid uptake in HSC.
- Assessment of fatty acid oxidation and mitochondrial respiration.
- Investigated the role of the fatty acid transporter CD36.
Main Results:
- Bacterial infections significantly increase free fatty acid uptake by HSC.
- This uptake fuels fatty acid oxidation and mitochondrial respiration.
- CD36 upregulation is essential for increased fatty acid uptake.
Conclusions:
- HSC metabolic activity is reprogrammed during bacterial infections.
- Targeting CD36 could modulate HSC function in sepsis.
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