Expression of Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (WASP) gene during hematopoietic differentiation

The Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) is an X-linked recessive disorder described as a clinical triad of thrombocytopenia, eczema, and immunodeficiency. The gene responsible for WAS encodes a 502-amino acid proline-rich protein (WASp) that is likely to play a role in the cytoskeleton reorganization and/or in signal transduction of hematopoietic cells. However, the function and the regulation of the WAS gene (WASP) have not yet been clearly defined. We have studied WASP expression at the transcriptional level in freshly isolated mature peripheral blood cells and during hematopoietic development. For this purpose, we have isolated CD34+ hematopoietic precursor cells from cord blood. These cells were cultured in vitro with various growth factors to generate committed or mature cells belonging to different hematopoietic differentiation pathways, such as granulocytic (CD15+) cells, monocytic (CD14+) cells, dendritic (CD1a+) cells, erythroid lineage (glycophorin A+) cells, and megakaryocytic cells (CD41+). We have shown by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analysis that the WASP transcript is ubiquitously detectable throughout differentiation from early hematopoietic progenitors, including CD34+CD45RA- and CD34+CD45RA+ cells, to cells belonging to different hematopoietic lineages, including erythroid-committed and dendritic cells. In addition, Northern blot analysis showed that peripheral blood circulating lymphocytes (CD3+ and CD19+ cells) and monocytes express WASP mRNA. Several hematopoietic cell lines were tested and higher levels of expression were consistently detected in myelomonocytic cell types. By contrast, primary nonhematopoietic cells, including fibroblasts, endothelial cells, and keratinocytes, were consistently negative for WASP mRNA.