PRDM11 is dispensable for the maintenance and function of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells.

Abstract Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) 1 supply organisms with life-long output of mature blood cells. To do so, the HSC pool size has to be maintained by HSC self-renewing divisions. PRDM3 and PRDM16 have been documented to regulate HSC self-renewal, maintenance and function. We found Prdm11 to have similar expression patterns in the hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) compartments as Prdm3 and Prdm16 . Therefore, we undertook experiments to test if PRDM11 regulates HSC self-renewal, maintenance and function by investigating the Prdm11 −/− mice. Our data shows that phenotypic HSPCs are intact in bone marrow (BM) of one-year-old Prdm11 −/− mice. In addition, Prdm11 −/− mice were able to fully regenerate the hematopoietic system upon BM transplantation (BMT) into lethally irradiated mice with a mild drop in lymphoid output only. Taken together, this suggests that PRDM11, in contrast to PRDM3 and PRDM16, is not directly involved in regulation of HSPCs in mice.