I branching formation in erythroid differentiation is regulated by transcription factor C/EBPalpha.
The histo-blood group i and I antigens have been characterized as straight and branched repeats of N-acetyllactosamine,respectively,and the conversion of the straight-chain i to the branched-chain I structure on red cells is regulated to occur after birth. It has been demonstrated that the human I locus expresses 3 IGnT transcripts,IGnTA,IGnTB,and IGnTC,and that the last of these is responsible for the I branching formation on red cells. In the present investigation,the K-562 cell line was used as a model to show that the i-to-I transition in erythroid differentiation is determined by the transcription factor CCAAT/enhancer binding protein alpha (C/EBPalpha),which enhances transcription of the IGnTC gene,consequently leading to formation of the I antigen. Further investigation suggested that C/EBPalpha IGnTC-activation activity is modulated at a posttranslational level,and that the phosphorylation status of C/EBPalpha may have a crucial effect. Results from studies using adult and cord erythropoietic cells agreed with those derived using the K-562 cell model,with lentiviral expression of C/EBPalpha in CD34(+) hemopoietic cells demonstrating the determining role of C/EBPalpha in the induction of the IGnTC gene as well as in I antigen expression.
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The AC133+CD38-, but not the rhodamine-low, phenotype tracks LTC-IC and SRC function in human cord blood ex vivo expansion cultures.
Phenotypic markers associated with human hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) were developed and validated using uncultured cells. Because phenotype and function can be dissociated during culture,better markers to prospectively track and isolate HSCs in ex vivo cultures could be instrumental in advancing HSC-based therapies. Using an expansion system previously shown to increase hematopoietic progenitors and SCID-repopulating cells (SRCs),we demonstrated that the rhodamine-low phenotype was lost,whereas AC133 expression was retained throughout culture. Furthermore,the AC133(+)CD38(-) subpopulation was significantly enriched in long-term culture-initiating cells (LTC-IC) and SRCs after culture. Preculture and postculture analysis of total nucleated cell and LTC-IC number,and limiting dilution analysis in NOD/SCID mice,showed a 43-fold expansion of the AC133(+)CD38(-) subpopulation that corresponded to a 7.3-fold and 4.4-fold expansion of LTC-ICs and SRCs in this subpopulation,respectively. Thus,AC133(+)CD38(-) is an improved marker that tracks and enriches for LTC-IC and SRC in ex vivo cultures.
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