2. Academic Validation
  3. Skewed fate and hematopoiesis of CD34+ HSPCs in umbilical cord blood amid the COVID-19 pandemic

Skewed fate and hematopoiesis of CD34+ HSPCs in umbilical cord blood amid the COVID-19 pandemic

  • iScience. 2022 Dec 22;25(12):105544. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105544.
Benjamin K Estep 1,  Charles J Kuhlmann 1,  Satoru Osuka 2,  Gajendra W Suryavanshi 3,  Yoshiko Nagaoka-Kamata 4,  Ciearria N Samuel 1,  Madison T Blucas 1,  Chloe E Jepson 1,  Paul A Goepfert 5,  Masakazu Kamata 1
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 845 19 Street South, Birmingham, AL 35205, USA.
  • 2 Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA.
  • 3 Division of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
  • 4 Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35205, USA.
  • 5 Department of Medicine and Division of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35205, USA.
PMID: 36406860 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105544
Abstract

Umbilical cord blood (UCB) is an irreplaceable source for hematopoietic stem progenitor cells (HSPCs). However, the effects of SARS-CoV-2 Infection and COVID-19 vaccination on UCB phenotype, specifically the HSPCs therein, are currently unknown. We thus evaluated any effects of SARS-CoV-2 Infection and/or COVID-19 vaccination from the mother on the fate and functionalities of HSPCs in the UCB. The numbers and frequencies of HSPCs in the UCB decreased significantly in donors with previous SARS-CoV-2 Infection and more so with COVID-19 vaccination via the induction of Apoptosis, likely mediated by IFN-γ-dependent pathways. Two independent hematopoiesis assays, a colony forming unit assay and a mouse humanization assay, revealed skewed hematopoiesis of HSPCs obtained from donors delivered from mothers with SARS-CoV-2 Infection history. These results indicate that SARS-CoV-2 Infection and COVID-19 vaccination impair the functionalities and survivability of HSPCs in the UCB, which would make unprecedented concerns on the future of HSPC-based therapies.

Keywords

Developmental biology; Haematology; Immunology; Pregnancy; Stem cells research.

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