Transcriptional regulation of granulopoiesis

For early granulopoiesis the CEBPA, SPI1 (PU.1), RAR, CBF, and MYB transcription factors are essential. CEBPE, SPI1, SP1, CDP, and HOXA10 transcription factors initiate terminal neutrophil differentiation.

Initially, RUNX1 activates SPI1 (PU.1), which is believed to be the key transcription factor driving the formation of MPPs and CMPs (reviewed in Friedman 2007, Fiedler and Brunner 2012). SPI1, in turn, activates expression of CEBPA, an indispensable transcription factor for granulopoiesis especially important in the transition from CMP to GMP (inferred from mouse homologs in Wilson et al. 2010, Guo et al. 2012, Guo et al. 2014, Cooper et al. 2015). CEBPA, in turn, activates the expression of several transcription factors and receptors characteristic of granulocytes, including CEBPA (autoregulation), CEBPE (Loke et al. 2018, and inferred from mouse homologs in Wang and Friedman 2002, Friedman et al. 2003), GFI1 (inferred from mouse homologs in Lidonnici et al. 2010), KLF5, IL6R (inferred from mouse homologs in Zhang et al. 1998), and CSF3R. Importantly, CEBPA dimers repress transcription of MYC (c-Myc) (Johansen et al. 2001, and inferred from mouse homologs in Slomiany et al. 2000, Porse et al. 2001). CEBPA binds CDK2 and CDK4 which inhibits their kinase activity by disrupting their association with cyclins thereby limiting proliferation and favoring differentiation of granulocyte progenitors during regular ("steady-state") granulopoiesis (reviewed in Friedman 2015). The transcription factor GFI1 regulates G-CSF signaling and neutrophil development through the Ras activator RasGRP1 (de la Luz Sierra et al. 2010).

Inhibitors of DNA binding (ID) proteins ID1 and ID2 regulate granulopoiesis and eosinophil production such that ID1 induces neutrophil development and inhibits eosinophil differentiation, whereas ID2 induces both eosinophil and neutrophil development.

Major infection activates emergency granulopoiesis (reviewed in Manz and Boettcher 2014, Hirai et al. 2015), the production of large numbers of granulocytes in a relatively short period of time. Emergency granulopoiesis is activated by cytokines, CSF2 (GM-CSF) and especially CSF3 (G-CSF, reviewed in Panopoulos and Watowich 2008, Liongue et al. 2009) which bind receptors, CSF2R and CSF3R, respectively, resulting in expression of CEBPB, which interferes with repression of MYC by CEBPA (inferred from mouse homologs in Zhang et al. 2010) and represses MYC less than CEBPA does, leading to proliferation of granulocyte progenitors prior to final differentiation.Both, emergency and steady-state granulopoiesis are regulated by direct interaction of CEBPA (steady-state) or CEBPB (emergency) proteins with NAD+-dependent protein deacetylases, SIRT1 and SIRT2. G-CSF induces the NAD+-generating enzyme, Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT, or PBEF), that in turn activates sirtuins.

GADD45A and GADD45B proteins are essential for stress-induced granulopoiesis and granulocyte chemotaxis by activation of p38 kinase. SHP2 is required for induction of CEBPA expression and granulopoiesis in response to CSF3 (G-CSF) or other cytokines independent of SHP2-mediated ERK activation.

Transcription of neutrophil granule proteins (e.g. ELANE, MPO, AZU1, DEFA4), that play an essential role in bacterial killing are regulated by CEBPE and SPI1 (PU.1) transcription factors. RUNX1 and LEF1 also regulate ELANE (ELA2) mRNA expression by binding to its promoter.