Strategy for erythroid differentiation in ex vivo cultures: Lentiviral genetic modification of human hematopoietic stem cells with erythropoietin gene

If cultured in appropriate conditions, such as supplementing culture media with costly cytokines and growth factors, hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) from different origins have shown to be an adequate source of erythroid cells. This requirement turns erythroid cells production into a complicated process to be scaled-up for future applications. The aim of our work was to genetically modify HSPCs with human erythropoietin (hEPO) sequence by lentiviral transgenesis in order for cells to secrete the hormone into the culture medium. Initially, we evaluated erythroid differentiation in colony forming units (CFU) assays and further analyzed cell expansion and erythroid differentiation throughout time in suspension cultures by flow cytometry and May-Grünwald-Giemsa staining. Additionally, we studied hEPO production and its isoforms profile. The different assessment approaches demonstrated erythroid differentiation, which was attributed to the hEPO secreted by the HSPCs. Our data demonstrate that it is possible to develop culture systems in which recombinant HSPCs are self-suppliers of hEPO. This feature makes our strategy attractive to be applied in biotechnological production processes of erythroid cells that are currently under development. •hEPO-modified HSPCs produced and secreted recombinant hEPO into the culture medium.•Modified HSPCs cultures showed erythroid differentiation in absence of exogenous hEPO.•It is thus feasible that cultures self-stimulate their expansion and differentiation.•This strategy aims to reduce the use of exogenous hEPO in erythroid cells production processes.