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bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.07.02.736005

The Aorta-Gonad-Mesonephros niche shapes the functions of yolk sac-derived macrophages involved in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell generation ex vivo

Belmonte, R. L.·Romano, M.·Popravko, A.·MacCallum, A.·Kulkarni, S.·Rumowska, M.·Barone, C.·Muratore, A.·Blanks, E.·Modha, H.·Mukhopadhyay, S.·Azzoni, E.·Gordon, S.·Mariani, S. A.
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Abstract

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) generated from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) offer a promising patient-specific alternative to allogeneic transplantation, yet current differentiation protocols fail to fully recapitulate in vivo HSC maturation. During mouse development, yolk sac (YS)-derived macrophages populate the aorta-gonad-mesonephros (AGM) region at the time of HSC emergence, but the mechanisms by which they support ex vivo hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) generation remain poorly defined. Bulk RNA sequencing revealed that mature AGM CD206 macrophages upregulate pro-inflammatory cytokines and the adhesion molecule F4/80. Using F4/80 knockout embryos, we identify a previously unreported, niche-specific role for F4/80 in restraining the frequency and colony-forming activity of HSPC subsets in the AGM, while supporting endothelial cell maintenance; this effect was absent in the YS. Lineage-tracing with a Cdh5-CreERT2;Rosa26LSL-tdTomato pulse-chase system confirmed that both CD206 and CD206- AGM cells originate from early YS-derived endothelial precursors, with no evidence of local macrophage generation within the AGM. Functional co-culture assays further demonstrated that the ability of CD206 macrophages to enhance the progenitor potential of hemogenic endothelium is AGM-specific and not an intrinsic, ontogeny-determined property, as YS macrophages failed to confer the same benefit even when paired with AGM endothelial cells, and AGM macrophages were ineffective with YS endothelium. Differential expression and NicheNet ligand-receptor interaction analyses identified a small set of AGM-restricted macrophage genes - including Mmp2, Nrep, Ccl2, and Cxcl16 - which are predicted to interact with both endothelial and cluster cells during endothelial-to-hematopoietic transition. Together, these findings establish that AGM macrophages acquire niche-specific transcriptional and functional properties upon entry into the aortic microenvironment, independent of their YS origin, and identify candidate macrophage-derived factors and a novel regulatory role for F4/80 in shaping HSPC output. These insights may guide the refinement of iPSC-based HSC differentiation protocols through the targeted, temporally controlled addition of macrophage-associated signals.

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Belmonte, R. L., Romano, M., Popravko, A., MacCallum, A., Kulkarni, S., Rumowska, M., Barone, C., Muratore, A., Blanks, E., Modha, H., Mukhopadhyay, S., Azzoni, E., Gordon, S., Mariani, S. A.. 2026-07-03. The Aorta-Gonad-Mesonephros niche shapes the functions of yolk sac-derived macrophages involved in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell generation ex vivo. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.02.736005

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