Mutation-dependent responses to sleep and exercise in clonal haematopoiesis

Teresa Gerhardt1,2,3,4,5,6, Walter Jacob1,2,3,4,5, Lena Gaebel1,2,3,4,5

  • 1Cardiovascular Research Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.

Nature
|June 10, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Healthy lifestyles like sleep and exercise can specifically reduce clonal hematopoiesis (CH) expansion and reprogram mutant cells, thereby lowering atherosclerosis risk. These interventions target CH mutant cells and vascular macrophages, promoting cardiovascular health.

Area of Science:

  • Hematology
  • Cardiovascular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Clonal hematopoiesis (CH) is linked to inflammation and increased atherosclerosis risk.
  • The impact of lifestyle factors on CH clone expansion and cellular programming remains largely unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how lifestyle interventions, specifically sleep and exercise, affect CH clone expansion and the development of atherosclerosis.
  • To determine if lifestyle interventions selectively reprogram CH mutant cells and associated immune cells.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of human datasets and murine models with various CH-associated mutations (Jak2, Tet2, Trp53, Dnmt3a).
  • Assessment of clone expansion, cellular phenotypes, inflammatory signaling (IL-1β, inflammasome), and atherosclerosis.
  • Investigation of molecular mechanisms involving noradrenaline and ADRβ2 signaling in macrophages.

Main Results:

  • Physical activity correlated with lower non-DNMT3A-driven CH prevalence in humans.
  • Sleep and exercise curtailed clone expansion in Jak2V617F and Tet2 loss-of-function (LOF) CH mouse models.
  • Lifestyle interventions selectively reprogrammed mutant hematopoietic progenitor cells and vascular macrophages, reducing inflammation and atherosclerosis.
  • Sleep blunted inflammasome activation in Jak2V617F macrophages, while exercise utilized noradrenaline signaling via ADRβ2 to repress inflammation.

Conclusions:

  • Healthy lifestyles, including sleep and exercise, demonstrate gene-specific effects on CH.
  • These interventions selectively reprogram mutant hematopoietic progenitor cells and macrophages, offering a novel strategy to mitigate CH-driven atherosclerosis.
  • Lifestyle modifications represent a promising approach to maintain cardiovascular health in individuals with CH.

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