Genetic programs regulating HSC specification, maintenance and expansion.
All mature blood cells originate from a small population of self-renewing pluripotent hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). The capacity to self-renew characterizes all stem cells, whether normal or neoplastic. Interestingly, recent studies suggest that self-renewal is essential for tumor cell maintenance, implicating that this process has therapeutic relevance. Unfortunately, the molecular bases for self-renewal of vertebrate cells remain poorly defined. This article will focus on the developmental mechanisms underlying fetal and adult HSC homeostasis. Specifically, distinctions between genetic programs regulating HSC specification (identity), self-renewal (in both fetal and adult) and differentiation/commitment will be discussed with a special emphasis on transcriptional and chromatin regulators.
Lessard
Julie
J
Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University, CA, USA.
Faubert
Amélie
A
Sauvageau
Guy
G
D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division / Q000235:genetics; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000235:genetics; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D016298:Hematopoietic Cell Growth Factors / Q000502:physiology; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D006413:Hematopoietic System / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007951:Leukemia, Myeloid / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000502:physiology
D016298:Hematopoietic Cell Growth Factors; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors