The chemokine receptor CXCR-4 is expressed on CD34+ hematopoietic progenitors and leukemic cells and mediates transendothelial migration induced by stromal cell-derived factor-1

The chemokine stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) and its receptor CXCR-4 (fusin, LESTR) are likely to be involved in the trafficking of hematopoietic progenitor and stem cells, as suggested by the reduced bone marrow hematopoiesis in SDF-1-deficient mice and the chemotactic effect of SDF-1 on CD34(+) progenitor cells. Migration of leukemic cells might also depend on the expression of chemokine receptors. Therefore, we analyzed expression of CXCR-4 on mobilized normal CD34(+) progenitors and leukemic cells. In addition, SDF-1-induced transendothelial migration across a bone marrow endothelial cell layer was assessed in vitro. By flow cytometry, CXCR-4 was found to be expressed in significant amounts on circulating CD34(+) hematopoietic progenitor cells, including more primitive subsets (CD34(+)/CD38(-) and CD34(+)/Thy-1(+) cells). In accordance with the immunofluorescence data, CD34(+) progenitors efficiently migrated across endothelium in response to SDF-1 containing conditioned medium from the stromal cell line MS-5. Leukemic blasts (mostly CD34(+)) from patients with acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) expressed variable amounts of CXCR-4, which was functionally active, as demonstrated by a positive correlation between the SDF-1-induced transendothelial migration and the cell surface density of CXCR-4 (r = 0.97). Also recombinant SDF-1 beta induced migration of CXCR-4-positive leukemic blasts. The effect of both conditioned medium and recombinant SDF-1 was inhibited by a CXCR-4 blocking antibody. In contrast, CD34(+) leukemic cell lines (KG1, KG1a, Kasumi-1, MOLM-1) expressed low levels or were negative for CXCR-4, and did not migrate. By reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), however, basal levels of CXCR-4 mRNA were also detected in all leukemic cell lines. We conclude that CXCR-4 is expressed on CD34(+) cells including more primitive, pluripotent progenitors, and may therefore play a role in the homing of hematopoietic stem cells. CXCR-4 expressed in variable amounts on primary AML leukemic cells is functionally active and may be involved in the trafficking of malignant hematopoietic cells. (C) 1998 by The American Society of Hematology.