Mature B cells and Mesenchymal Stem Cells control emergency myelopoiesis

Systemic inflammation halts lymphopoiesis and prioritizes myeloid cell production. How blood cell production switches from homeostasis to emergency myelopoiesis is incompletely understood. Here we show that Lymphotoxin-b receptor (LTbR) signaling in combination with TNF and IL1 receptor signaling in mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) downregulates Il7 expression to shutdown lymphopoiesis during systemic inflammation. LTbR signaling in MSCs also promoted CCL2 production to enable inflammatory monocyte egress from the bone marrow. Furthermore, pharmacological or genetic blocking of Il7 downregulation in MSCs impaired myeloid cell production and egress, which reduced survival against systemic bacterial and viral infections. Interestingly, lymphotoxin a1b2 delivered by B-lineage cells, and specifically by mature B cells, contributed to promote Il7 downregulation and reduce MSC lymphopoietic activity. Our studies revealed an unexpected role for LTbR signaling in MSCs and identified mature B cells as an important regulator of emergency myelopoiesis. Comparative gene expression profiling analysis of RNA-seq data for Mesenchymal Stem Cells and its treatment derivatives.