Sphk2 deletion activates the HIF1α–PDK3 axis to improve metabolic fitness and function of HSCs. (A) Heatmap of metabolic genes overlapped with HIF1α targeted genes, which were upregulated in Sphk2-deficient HSCs compared with those in control HSCs. (B) Reads per kilobase per million mapped reads (RPKM) of PDK in HSCs from Sphk2Δ/Δ mice or control littermates (n = 3 mice per group). (C) Western blots of indicated proteins in HSCs from Sphk2Δ/Δ mice or control littermates. β-Actin was used as a loading control; 1#, 2#, 3#, and 4# indicated 4 individual mice. (D) Representative image (left) and quantification (right) of pPDH-E1α in HSCs from Sphk2Δ/Δ mice or control littermates (n = 100 cells from 4 mice). (E) Relative expression of PDK3 in sorted HSCs from Sphk2Δ/Δ or control mice under normoxia or hypoxia culture for 24 hours (n = 5 mice in 3 replicates). (F) ChIP-qPCR of HIF1α at the promoter region of Pdk3 in sorted HSCs from Sphk2Δ/Δ or control mice under hypoxia culture for 24 hours (n = 5 mice in 3 replicates). (G) Western blots of PDK3 in sorted HSCs from indicated mice (n = 3 replicates with 1-2 mice per replicate). (H) Western blots of PDK3 and pPDH-E1α in HSCs from indicated mice; 1# and 2# indicated 2 individual mice (n = 4 mice, 2 replicates were shown). (I) Relative intracellular pyruvate concentration, (J) lactate production, (K) LDH activity, (L) ECAR, (M) relative glucose uptake, (N) OCR, (O) intracellular ATP concentration, (P) intracellular NAD+/NADH ratio, and (Q) Cell ROX Deep (ROShigh) cells in HSCs from Pdk3Δ/+, Sphk2Δ/Δ, and Sphk2Δ/Δ; Pdk3Δ/+, or control mice, or in BM cells from 2-month-old mice as indicated (I-P: n = 5 mice in 3 replicates; Q: n = 4 mice per group). (R-T) The (R) absolute number of HSCs (n = 4 mice), (S) cell cycle analysis, and (T) annexin-V analysis of HSCs in BM from Pdk3Δ/+, Sphk2Δ/Δ, and Sphk2Δ/Δ; Pdk3Δ/+, or control mice as indicated (n = 4 mice per group). (U) PB analysis for total engrafted donor cells at the indicated number of weeks after transplantation and (V) the percentage of donor-derived B, T, and myeloid lineage cells at 16 weeks after transplantation (n = 5 mice per group). Data represented as mean ± standard deviation. Two-tailed Student t tests were used to assess statistical significance. ∗P < .05, and ∗∗∗P < .001. One-way ANOVA with Tukey's multiple comparison post hoc test, †P < .05, ††P < .01, †††P < .001. N.S., not significant.