Alteration of long and short-term hematopoietic stem cell ratio causes myeloid-biased hematopoiesis

Myeloid-biased hematopoiesis is a well-known age-related alteration. Several possibilities, including myeloid-biased hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) clones, may explain this. However, the precise mechanisms remain controversial.

Utilizing the Hoxb5 reporter system to prospectively isolate long-term HSCs (LT-HSCs) and short-term HSCs (ST-HSCs), we found that young and aged LT-HSCs co-transplanted into the same recipients demonstrated nearly equivalent myeloid lineage output, contrary to the theory of myeloid-biased HSC clones. Transcriptomics indicated no significant myeloid gene enrichment in aged LT-HSCs compared to their young counterparts. Instead, transplanting reconstituted young HSCs with the ratio of LT/ST-HSCs seen in aged mice can significantly skew the lineage output to myeloid cells. In addition, while the niche environment in the bone marrow minimally affects myeloid-biased hematopoiesis, aged thymi and spleens substantially hinder lymphoid hematopoiesis, resulting in further myeloid-domination. Thus, we demonstrate that myeloid-biased hematopoiesis in aged organisms originates due to alteration of the ratio between LT-HSCs and ST-HSCs rather than in heterogeneous HSC clones with various cell fates.