Hematology: stem cells

Our studies of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) focus on molecular genetic mechanisms that regulate differentiation, self-renewal, and aging. Hematopoietic precursors are a useful model for adult stem cells in general for 2 reasons. First, they are essential, producing not only all erythroid, myeloid and lymphoid cells, but natural killer cells and mast cells; and, they produce the macrophages found in liver, lung, bone, brain, and other tissues. Second, they are a well-defined example of self-renewing and differentiating cells that illustrate methods applicable to other stem cell systems. Because differentiated cells turn over continually, constant stem cell proliferation is necessary. In fact, partial proliferative exhaustion can explain losses with age in the many tissues in which repair and function depend on regeneration from adult precursor cells. In general, any impairment of stem cell function with age would reduce health in many biological systems. Conversely, any improvement of stem cell function with age could prolong health in many biological systems.

In this area of our website, we offer brief overviews of our current hematology programs, categorized as follows:

I. Measuring stem cell function in vivo
II. Genetic regulation of hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) functions
III. Diet restriction (DR) and HSC aging
IV. Genetic regulation of HSC exhaustion during development and aging
V. Stem cell antigens
VI. Regulation of c-Kit receptor in hematopoietic function
VII. Embryonic stem cell (ESC) differentiation

For a list of published information about our programs, please visit Harrison Publications.

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Site last updated June 6, 2011.