Megakaryocyte-derived excessive transforming growth factor β1 inhibits proliferation of normal hematopoietic stem cells in acute myeloid leukemia

•The TGFβ signaling pathway was activated in residual hematopoietic stem cells in AML bone marrow.•Megakaryocytes produced excessive TGFβ1 in leukemic bone marrow.•TGFβ1 directly upregulated Egr3 in hematopoietic stem cells. Impaired production of healthy hematopoietic cells from residual hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) leads to high mortality in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Previous studies have identified p21 and Egr3 as intrinsic factors responsible for the growth arrest and differentiation blockade of normal HSCs in leukemia; however, the related extrinsic factors remain unknown. In this study, we found that transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) signaling was upregulated in HSCs from bone marrow of mice with MLL-AF9-induced acute myeloid leukemia (AML) because of excessive production of TGFβ1, especially from megakaryocytes, and overactivation of latent TGFβ1 protein. We also found that SMAD3, a signal transducer of TGFβ1, directly bound to Egr3 and upregulated its expression to arrest proliferation of HSCs. Our study provides evidence for targeting TGFβ1 in AML to rectify normal hematopoiesis defects in clinical practice.