iScienceOct 23, 2026

Stathmin 1 controls mitochondrial cleanup and non-dividing functions in blood stem and early cells

Longevity & Aging Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Oct 24, 2026

Abstract

Loss of stathmin 1 is associated with impaired function in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs).

Stathmin 1 is highly expressed in HSPCs, indicating its potential role in these cells.
Altered microtubule architecture was observed in HSPCs lacking stathmin 1.
Defective mitochondrial structure and function were noted in stathmin 1 deficient HSPCs.
Impairment in the process of mitophagy was found in HSPCs without stathmin 1.
Stimulation of autophagy improved colony-forming ability in stathmin 1 deficient HSPCs.

Simplified

Stathmin 1 is a cytoplasmic phosphoprotein that regulates microtubule dynamics. Stathmin 1 expression is a feature of proliferating cells, and it is overexpressed in many cancers, including leukemias. In contrast to its roles in proliferating cells, considerably less is known of stathmin 1 in quiescent cells. Importantly, stathmin 1 is highly expressed in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs), and herein we found that stathmin 1 loss is associated with altered microtubule architecture and markedly impaired HSPC function. Transcriptomic studies suggested metabolic differences in Stmn1 ^-/- HSPCs, and further mechanistic studies revealed defective mitochondrial structure and function. Microtubules facilitate autophagosome formation and mitophagy, and indeed we found that this critical mitochondrial quality control process is impaired in Stmn1 ^-/- HSPCs. Finally, stimulation of autophagy improved Stmn1 ^-/- HSPC colony-forming ability. Together, these data identify a non-proliferative role for stathmin 1 in the regulation of HSPC mitochondrial quality control and cellular function.

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Stathmin 1 controls mitochondrial cleanup and non-dividing functions in blood stem and early cells

Abstract

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