DNMT3A Regulates Murine Megakaryocyte-Biased Hematopoietic Stem Cell Fate Decisions

Authors

Sarah M Waldvogel
Virginia Camacho
Dandan Fan
Anna G Guzman
Alejandra Garcia-Martell
Elmira Khabusheva
Jacey Rodriguez Pridgen
Josephine De La Fuente
Rachel Rau
Ashlyn G Laidman
Maria N Barrachina
Estelle Carminita
Justin A Courson
Michael R Williamson
Joanne I Hsu
Chun-Wei Chen
Jaime Reyes
Subhashree Pradhan
Rolando E Rumbaut
Alan R Burns
Benjamin Deneen
Jianzhong Su
Kellie R Machlus
Margaret A Goodell

Publication Date

5-13-2025

Journal

Blood Advances

DOI

10.1182/bloodadvances.2024015061

PMID

40048738

PMCID

PMC12124613

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

3-10-2025

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Post-print

Published Open-Access

yes

Keywords

Animals, DNA Methyltransferase 3A, Hematopoietic Stem Cells, Mice, Megakaryocytes, DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases, DNA Methylation, Cell Differentiation, Cell Lineage

Abstract

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are defined by their capacity to regenerate all main components of peripheral blood, but individual HSCs exhibit a range of preferences for generating downstream cell types. Their propensities are thought to be epigenetically encoded, but few differential regulatory mechanisms have been identified. In this work, we explored the role of DNA methyltransferase 3A (DNMT3A) in the megakaryocyte-biased HSC population, which is thought to reside at the top of the hematopoietic hierarchy. We demonstrate that heterozygous loss of DNMT3A (Dnmt3a+/-) in these megakaryocyte-biased HSCs has distinct consequences compared with the rest of the HSC pool. These megakaryocyte-biased HSCs become delayed in their lymphoid-repopulating ability but can ultimately regenerate all lineages. We further demonstrate that Dnmt3a+/- mice have increased numbers of megakaryocytes in the bone marrow. Analysis of DNA methylation differences between wild-type (WT) and Dnmt3a+/- HSC subsets, megakaryocyte-erythroid progenitors, and megakaryocytes revealed that DNA methylation is eroded in the mutants in a cell type-specific fashion. Although transcriptional differences between WT and Dnmt3a+/- megakaryocyte-biased HSCs are subtle, the pattern of DNA methylation loss in this HSC subset is almost completely different from that in non-megakaryocyte-biased HSCs. Together, our findings establish the role of epigenetic regulation in the fate of megakaryocyte-biased HSCs and their downstream progeny and suggest that the outcomes of DNMT3A loss might vary depending on the identity of the HSC that acquires the mutation.