Differential in vivo and in vitro expression of ED-B+ fibronectin in adult human hematopoiesis

Fibronectin in general is involved in adhesion and maturation of the erythroid lineage, in megakaryopoiesis and in the differentiation of human multipotent hematopoietic progenitor cells. However, little information exists about the expression of the oncofetal fibronectin isoform containing the ED-B domain (ED-B+ fn) in adult human hematopoiesis. The study was aimed to analyze the ED-B+ fn expression in normal human bone marrow cells by immunocytochemistry, flow cytometry and reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. The in vivo results were compared to ED-B+ fn expression in human long-term bone marrow cultures (LTBMC), cytokine supported expansion cultures of CD34+ peripheral blood progenitor cells (PBPC) and in leukemic cell lines with megakaryocytic characteristics (K562, CMK). ED-B+ fn protein was immunocytochemically demonstrated in normal bone marrow megakaryocytes as well as in megakaryocytic progenitor/precursor cells generated ex vivo from PBPC but we failed to detect ED-B+ fn mRNA. It was strongly expressed in LTBMC (RNA and protein). Analysis of human bone marrow mononuclear cells by flow cytometry and confocal microscopy revealed only cytoplasmic ED-B+ fn. The SCF/TPO induced megakaryocytic differentiation of ED-B+ fn negative CMK cells is associated with an increase of large megakaryocytes followed by an intracellular accumulation of ED-B+ fn mRNA and protein. We conclude that in normal human hematopoiesis ED-B+ fn protein expression and intracellular accumulation is restricted to differentiation of megakaryocytes. Low-abundant synthesis, intracellular accumulation and failure of membrane exposure might be due to a function during early events of wound healing (formation of a platelet-rich provisional extracellular matrix).