GNPS Understanding the metabolic regulation of murine hematopoietic emergence

In vertebrates, lifelong supply of all the blood cell types in suitable numbers is maintained by the hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). During development, these HSCs emerge in the aorta-gonad-mesonephros (AGM) from specialized vascular endothelium through a transdifferentiation process, called as endothelial-to-hematopoietic transition (EHT). During this process, select endothelial cells (CD31+c-kit- or CD31PCKITN) switch to a hematopoietic transcriptional program, undergo morphological changes and become hemogenic (CD31+c-kit+ or CD31PCKITP) and gives rise to hematopoietic cells (CD31-c-kit+ or CD31NCKITP). A complex interplay of key transcription factors and signaling pathways coordinates the whole process. Specific metabolic signature of a cell can precisely define its phenotype. Evidence has emerged that cellular phenotype and function can be driven according to the changes in cellular metabolism. Metabolic programs, which are stage specific, allow stem cells to adapt their function in different microenvironments. In the present study, we performed nano LC-MS/MS based proteomic analysis to understand the molecular program involved in the transdifferentiation of endothelial to hematopoietic cells.