title: Hormonal regulation of hematopoietic stem cells and their niche: a focus on estrogen.
abstract: Self-renewal and differentiation are hallmarks of stem cells and controlled by various intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Increasing evidence indicates that estrogen (E2), the primary female sex hormone, is involved in regulating the proliferation and lineage commitment of adult and pluripotent stem cells as well as modulating the stem cell niche. Thus, a detailed understanding of the role of E2 in behavior of stem cells may help to improve their therapeutic potential. Recently, it has been reported that E2 promotes cell cycle activity of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells and induces them to megakaryocyte-erythroid progenitors during pregnancy. This study paves the way towards a previously unexplored endocrine mechanism that controls stem cell behavior. In this review, we will focus on the scientific findings regarding the regulatory effects of E2 on the hematopoietic system including its microenvironment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Hye-Ryeon
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Heo
authors.affiliation: Center of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Borim
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: An
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Department of Biomedical Science, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Kye-Seong
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Center of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
authors.forename: Junfeng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Korea ; Stem Cell Institute, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Seok-Ho
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Hong
keywords: Estrogen; Hematopoiesis; Niche; Stem cells