Characterization of inflammation-induced extramedullary myelopoiesis and its contribution to the myeloid cell population.

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Stefan Jordan
• Subject Area: Hematology, Oncology ; Immunology ; Virology
• Term: from 2014 to 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 256518120

In the fetus the development of blood cells mainly takes place in liver and spleen. In the adult, the bone marrow is the principal site of blood cell-formation. Interestingly, in response to infection with various pathogens the generation of certain immune cells at fetal sites, e.g. in the spleen, can be reactivated. This phenomenon is termed extramedullary myelopoiesis. The mechanisms that govern extramedullary myelopoiesis and the contribution of this process to the immune response are mostly unknown. Of note, infection-induced extramedullary myelopoiesis reaches its peak after clearance of the acute infection. My hypothesis is that extramedullary myelopoiesis contributes to the replenishment of the immune system with newly generated immune cells following infection. In this project I plan to model herpesvirus and flu infection in mice in order to evaluate the contribution of extramedullary myelopoiesis to the immune cell pool, and to characterize the cells and molecular factors that are crucial for the occurrence of this phenomenon. To this aim, I will use polychromatic flow cytometry to identify cells participating in extramedullary myelopoiesis, I will isolate these cells and study their transcriptional programs, and I will use genetically engineered mice with a deficiency for candidate factors to determine their role in extramedullary myelopoiesis. Understanding the role and mechanisms of extramedullary myelopoiesis could help to develop innovative therapeutic approaches for infectious diseases.

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• International Connection: USA
• Host: Professorin Miriam Merad, Ph.D.