The Regulation of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Fate in the Context of Radiation

Hematopoietic system is one of the main target organs of irradiation injury. Exposure to radiation can cause acute myelosuppression and long-term hematopoietic injury due to the direct and indirect damage of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) that can self-renew and differentiate into all types of blood cells. So far, many factors in the modulation of HSC biology at steady status have been revealed, while how to orchestrate HSCs in the context of radiation has not been well established. Recently, an increasing number of studies focus on the underlying mechanisms involved in regulating HSC fate after radiation exposure by affecting DNA damage response (DDR), including DNA-damage repair, cell-cycle arrest, apoptosis and senescence, or bone marrow (BM) microenvironment. In this review, we summarize recent findings on intrinsic and extrinsic factors in the regulation of HSC fate after radiation exposure, which may further deepen our understanding of the radioprotection of HSCs.