Isolation of MYADM, a novel hematopoietic-associated marker gene expressed in multipotent progenitor cells and up-regulated during myeloid differentiation.

A large number of hematopoietic cytokines and their receptors as well as transcription factors have been shown to be involved in maturation of blood cells. However, many of the genes important for the differentiation of multipotent stem cells to specific cellular lineages are still unknown. To identify novel genes involved in lineage selection of myeloid cells, we have applied differential display analysis during commitment toward granulocytes and macrophages of an IL-3-dependent multipotent progenitor cell line, FDCP-mix. One regulated cDNA represented a novel gene with restricted expression pattern within the hematopoietic system and was strongly up-regulated when FDCP-mix cells differentiated in GM-CSF, G-CSF, and M-CSF. The expression appears to be differentiation stage-specific in myeloid cells and is absent in B and T lymphocytes. Thus we found expression in normal mouse bone marrow enriched for stem cells and multipotent progenitors (c-kit+Sca-1+Lin- cells). When these cells were induced to differentiate toward myeloid cells, MYADM was up-regulated. In contrast, during conditions known to favor the development of B cell progenitors, the gene was down-regulated. The gene, termed MYADM for myeloid-associated differentiation marker gene, shows 100% identity to expressed sequence tags from early mouse embryonic development as well as from the mouse lung and from activated mouse macrophages. The predicted 32-kDa MYADM protein contains multiple hydrophobic putative transmembrane segments and has several potential consensus sites for phosphorylation. In view of its expression pattern, MYADM could serve as a new marker gene for hematopoietic differentiation. Although the function is unknown, antisense oligonucleotides were able to inhibit colony formation of c-kit+ Lin- bone marrow cells, suggesting an important role for MYADM in myeloid differentiation.