In vivo CRISPR screening identifies SAGA complex members as a key regulators of hematopoiesis [scRNA]

The biological mechanisms that sustain the vast blood production required for healthy life remain incompletely understood. To search for novel regulators of hematopoiesis, we performed a genome-wide in vivo hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC)-based CRISPR knockout screen for regulators of hematopoiesis. We discovered SAGA complex members, including Tada2b and Taf5l, as key regulators of hematopoiesis. Loss of Tada2b or Taf5l strongly inhibited hematopoiesis in vivo, causing a buildup of immature hematopoietic cells in the bone marrow. The SAGA complex deposits histone H3 lysine 9 acetylation (H3K9ac) and removes histone H2B ubiquitination (H2Bub). Loss of Tada2b led to reductions in H3K9ac levels and altered H2Bub enrichment in HSPCs, implicating disruption of SAGA complex activity. This was associated with upregulation of interferon pathway genes, reduced mitochondrial activity, and increased megakaryocyte progenitor cell commitment. Loss of these factors also enhanced the cell outgrowth and the interferon pathway in an in vivo human myelodysplastic syndrome cell line model. In summary, this study has identified the SAGA complex as an important regulator of hematopoiesis.