Regulation of normal hematopoiesis by neuropeptide substance P (SP) and its amino terminal fragment, SP(1-4), has been reported. Endogenous erythroid colony (EEC) formation without erythropoietin is characteristic of polycythemia vera (PV), a chronic myeloproliferative disorder. We investigated the effect(s) of SP and SP(1-4) on EEC formation from PV BM mononuclear cells (BMMCs) and purified CD36+ erythroid progenitors. We found a potent in vitro inhibitory effect of SP and SP(1-4) on PV EEC formation for both BMMCs and CD36+ erythroid progenitors. The influence of SP and SP(1-4) on PV progenitor erythroid differentiation and cell viability was also investigated, and the impact of neurokinin receptors and G proteins in the inhibition were analyzed by quantitative PCR and with specific inhibitors. This progenitor inhibition was: (1) not mediated by accessory cells; (2) characterized by an increase in cell death and inhibition of the EPOindependent terminal erythroid differentiation; and (3) not mediated by the same neurokinin receptor. NK-1R and NK-2R antagonists completely abrogated the SP inhibitory effect but not SP(1-4)-induced inhibition. Furthermore, the truncated form of the NK-1R was predominant over the full-length mRNA and could mediated the SP inhibitory effect on PV CD36+ erythroid progenitors. Different G proteins were also implicated according to the erythroid differentiation stage of the PV cells. The observation of an inhibitory effect of SP and its related peptide, SP(1-4), on PV EEC formation at physiological concentrations (10-8M) suggests that neuropeptides represent a way to downregulate pathologic expansion of PV progenitors.