IntroductionHematologic malignancies account for ϳ 9% of all newly diagnosed cancers in the United States. 1 Changes in hematopoiesis also occur in many medical conditions and significantly contribute to morbidity and mortality. Although blood disorders arise primarily from defects in hematopoietic cells, contextual signals from stromal cells in the BM microenvironment or "niche" may also influence disease development.Adult hematopoiesis occurs in the BM where multipotent hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) generate all lineages of mature blood cells through a hierarchy of developmentally restricted progenitor populations. 2 HSCs reside in specialized niches formed by different stromal populations, including endothelial cells (ECs), mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), and osteoblastic-lineage cells (OBCs), which express key HSC-supportive factors, including Notch ligands, Cxcl12, and angiopoietin-1 (Angpt1). 3,4 Although early mouse studies have implicated mature osteoblasts as important regulators of HSC numbers, 5-7 more recent work has shown that immature OBCs and perivascular MSCs are in fact the major BM niche constituents ensuring HSC maintenance. [8][9][10] Coculture experiments have also demonstrated the functional importance of interactions with ECs and OBCs in regulating blood production by HSCs. 11,12 These findings indicate that ECs, OBCs, and MSCs are 3 essential BM stromal cell populations that regulate HSC activity and blood homeostasis.Recent work has also illustrated how changes in BM stromal cells contribute to the development of hematologic diseases. Genetic ablation of the retinoblastoma, 13 retinoic acid receptor gamma, 14 or miRNA processing enzyme Dicer 15 genes in BM stromal cells or osteoprogenitor cells all resulted in dysfunctional BM niches promoting myeloproliferative neoplasms or myelodysplastic syndromes. Furthermore, the loss of G s G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling in osteoprogenitor cells was found to impair B-cell development. 16 These examples stress the role of BM stromal niche cells in regulating hematopoiesis and indicate that appropriate GPCR signals are crucial for normal blood development.Surprisingly little is known about how abnormal G s -GPCR signaling in osteoblastic cells affects hematopoiesis. Activation of the key osteoblast G s GPCR parathyroid hormone receptor 1 (PTHR1) by parathyroid hormone (PTH) causes changes in osteoblast proliferation, differentiation, and function. 17 Clinically, daily injection of recombinant PTH is used to increase bone formation for osteoporosis treatment. 18 Recently, PTH injections were also shown to increase both HSC mobilization and engraftment in mouse models of BM transplantation. 5,19,20 These studies have led to clinical trials using PTH to enhance HSC-based therapies 21 and raised the exciting possibility of improving HSC function by modulating osteoblast factors, particularly via GPCR signals.The complexity of the G s ␣ gene locus, embryonic lethality of G s ␣ overactivity, and genetic imprinting of this locus pose significa...