Thrombopoietin-induced polyploidization of bone marrow megakaryocytes is due to a unique regulatory mechanism in late mitosis

Megakaryocytes undergo a unique differentiation program, becoming polyploid through repeated cycles of DNA synthesis without concomitant cell division. However, the mechanism underlying this polyploidization remains totally unknown. It has been postulated that polyploidization is due to a skipping of mitosis after each round of DNA replication. We carried out immunohistochemical studies on mouse bone marrow megakaryocytes during thrombopoietin-induced polyploidization and found that during this process megakaryocytes indeed enter mitosis and progress through normal prophase, prometaphase, metaphase, and up to anaphase A, but not to anaphase B, telophase, or cytokinesis. It was clearly observed that multiple spindle poles were formed as the polyploid megakaryocytes entered mitosis; the nuclear membrane broke down during prophase; the sister chromatids were aligned on a multifaced plate, and the centrosomes were symmetrically located on either side of each face of the plate at metaphase; and a set of sister chromatids moved into the multiple centrosomes during anaphase A. We further noted that the pair of spindle poles in anaphase were located in close proximity to each other, probably because of the lack of outward movement of spindle poles during anaphase B. Thus, the reassembling nuclear envelope may enclose all the sister chromatids in a single nucleus at anaphase and then skip telophase and cytokinesis. These observations clearly indicate that polyploidization of megakaryocytes is not simply due to a skipping of mitosis, and that the megakaryocytes must have a unique regulatory mechanism in anaphase, e.g., factors regulating anaphase such as microtubule motor proteins might be involved in this polyploidization process.