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Here, we investigate the contribution of long-term hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs LT ) to trained immunity (TI) in the setting of chronic autoimmune disease. Using a mouse model of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), we show that bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) from autoimmune mice exhibit hallmark features of TI, including increased Mycobacterium avium killing and inflammatory cytokine production, which are mechanistically linked to increased glycolytic metabolism. We show that HSCs from autoimmune mice constitute a transplantable, long-term reservoir for macrophages that exhibit the functional properties of TI. However, these BMDMs exhibit reduced glycolytic activity and chromatin accessibility at metabolic genes while retaining elevated expression of TI-associated transcriptional regulators. Hence, HSC exposed to autoimmune inflammation can give rise to macrophages in which the functional and metabolic properties of TI are decoupled. Our data support a model in which TI is characterized by a spectrum of molecular and metabolic states driving augmented immune function., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

It remains unknown whether and how intestinal stem cells (ISCs) adapt to inflammatory exposure and whether the adaptation leaves scars that will affect their subsequent regeneration. We investigated the consequences of inflammation on Lgr5 + ISCs in well-defined clinically relevant models of acute gastrointestinal graft-versus-host disease (GI GVHD). Utilizing single-cell transcriptomics, as well as organoid, metabolic, epigenomic, and in vivo models, we found that Lgr5 + ISCs undergo metabolic changes that lead to the accumulation of succinate, which reprograms their epigenome. These changes reduced the ability of ISCs to differentiate and regenerate ex vivo in serial organoid cultures and also in vivo following serial transplantation. Furthermore, ISCs demonstrated a reduced capacity for in vivo regeneration despite resolution of the initial inflammatory exposure, demonstrating the persistence of the maladaptive impact induced by the inflammatory encounter. Thus, inflammation imprints the epigenome of ISCs in a manner that persists and affects their sensitivity to adapt to future stress or challenges., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) mediate regeneration of the hematopoietic system following injury, such as following infection or inflammation. These challenges impair HSC function, but whether this functional impairment extends beyond the duration of inflammatory exposure is unknown. Unexpectedly, we observed an irreversible depletion of functional HSCs following challenge with inflammation or bacterial infection, with no evidence of any recovery up to 1 year afterward. HSCs from challenged mice demonstrated multiple cellular and molecular features of accelerated aging and developed clinically relevant blood and bone marrow phenotypes not normally observed in aged laboratory mice but commonly seen in elderly humans. In vivo HSC self-renewal divisions were absent or extremely rare during both challenge and recovery periods. The progressive, irreversible attrition of HSC function demonstrates that temporally discrete inflammatory events elicit a cumulative inhibitory effect on HSCs. This work positions early/mid-life inflammation as a mediator of lifelong defects in tissue maintenance and regeneration., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) describes a widespread expansion of genetically variant hematopoietic cells that increases exponentially with age and is associated with increased risks of cancers, cardiovascular disease, and other maladies. Here, we discuss how environmental contexts associated with CHIP, such as old age, infections, chemotherapy, or cigarette smoking, alter tissue microenvironments to facilitate the selection and expansion of specific CHIP mutant clones. Further, we consider major remaining gaps in knowledge, including intrinsic effects, clone size thresholds, and factors affecting clonal competition, that will determine future application of this field in transplant and preventive medicine., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Age-related clonal hematopoiesis (CH) is a risk factor for malignancy, cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality. Somatic mutations in DNMT3A are drivers of CH, but decades may elapse between the acquisition of a mutation and CH, suggesting that environmental factors contribute to clonal expansion. We tested whether infection provides selective pressure favoring the expansion of Dnmt3a mutant hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in mouse chimeras. We created Dnmt3a-mosaic mice by transplanting Dnmt3a -/- and WT HSCs into WT mice and observed the substantial expansion of Dnmt3a -/- HSCs during chronic mycobacterial infection. Injection of recombinant IFNγ alone was sufficient to phenocopy CH by Dnmt3a -/- HSCs upon infection. Transcriptional and epigenetic profiling and functional studies indicate reduced differentiation associated with widespread methylation alterations, and reduced secondary stress-induced apoptosis accounts for Dnmt3a -/- clonal expansion during infection. DNMT3A mutant human HSCs similarly exhibit defective IFNγ-induced differentiation. We thus demonstrate that IFNγ signaling induced during chronic infection can drive DNMT3A-loss-of-function CH., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Inflammatory signals can activate hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), but how HSCs regain quiescence after stress is unclear. In this issue of Cell Stem Cell, Chen et al. (2017) delineate an elegant histamine-dependent feedback mechanism through which myeloid bone marrow cells restore quiescence of myeloid-biased HSCs, with implications for blood disorders, aging, and immunity., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) represent one of the first recognized somatic stem cell types. As such, nearly 200 genes have been examined for roles in HSC function in knockout mice. In this review, we compile the majority of these reports to provide a broad overview of the functional modules revealed by these genetic analyses and highlight some key regulatory pathways involved, including cell cycle control, Tgf-β signaling, Pten/Akt signaling, Wnt signaling, and cytokine signaling. Finally, we propose recommendations for characterization of HSC function in knockout mice to facilitate cross-study comparisons that would generate a more cohesive picture of HSC biology., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)