G Protein-Coupled Receptor 56 As A Potential Regulator Of Normal And Leukemic Stem Cells

Therapy-resistant leukemic stem cells (LSCs) sustain acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and must be eliminated to cure a patient. However, there are no specific anti-LSC therapies, partially due to poor understanding of the unique molecular biology of these cells. Human LSCs share many properties with normal hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), with similar gene expression profiles and molecular regulators. GPR56 is an adhesion class G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) that has recently been implicated in the developmental origins of murine HSCs as well as regulating the function of adult murine HSCs, although this is controversial. Previous studies have observed that GPR56 is involved in cell adhesion, migration and differentiation in AML cell lines. Whether GPR56 is part of the molecular regulation of LSCs remains unknown. This study aims to establish whether GPR56 regulates the function of human LSCs and HSCs.