Cdc42: a signal coordinator in hematopoietic stem cell maintenance.
Maintenance of a relatively quiescent cell cycle state is a distinct characteristic of adult hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) residing in the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment. This property is considered critical for HSCs to fulfill long term self-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation potential throughout mammalian life span. To date, the mechanisms regulating the cell cycle state and the retention of HSCs in the BM microenvironment remain unclear. Cdc42, a small GTPase of the Rho family known to control various cellular functions including adhesion, migration, transcription, and growth, is shown recently in a conditional gene-targeted mouse model to coordinate HSC quiescence maintenance and BM niche residency. The study also highlights a cell-type specific role of Cdc42 in cell cycle regulation.
Yang
Linda
L
Division of Experimental Hematology, Children's Hospital Research Foundation, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229, USA.
Zheng
Yi
Y
D000818:Animals; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000502:physiology*; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D008954:Models, Biological; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D020764:cdc42 GTP-Binding Protein / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*
D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D020764:cdc42 GTP-Binding Protein