Fingerprints Help Identify Genes Involved in Differentiation of Blood Cells

A database containing the molecular profiles of the major components of the blood system--including the stem cells and the cells differentiated from them--enabled scientists to identify at least two genes involved in the differentiation process for two different kinds of blood cells.

Scientists identified between 100 and 400 genes uniquely expressed in each cell type and termed these "lineage fingerprints,” because they mark the different cells that arise from various stem cells.

In a report that appeared in the journal Cell Stem Cell on November 14, 2007, Dr. Margaret A. Goodell, professor of pediatrics and director of Baylor College of Medicine's (BCM; Houston, TX, USA) STem Cells and Regeneration Center (STaR), and her colleagues described how they used their database to determine what was unique to each blood cell and what was common to all the cell types.

"With unique genes, some will be responsible for generating those cell types,” said Prof. Goodell. She and her colleagues caused two of the genes, zinc finger gene (Zfp) 105 from the natural killer (NK) cell lineage, and the Ets2 gene from monocyte lineage to overexpress or make more than usual amounts of protein. "They ended up driving differentiation,” she added. That means that genes encouraged progenitor or early forms of the cells to become the mature or final blood cells that carry out specific tasks in the blood system.

In the future, scientists might consider ways to use the genes to help generate the differentiated cells in the laboratory as a particular form of treatment or developing drugs to block the action of the genes. Overproduction of certain blood or immune system cells can lead to cancer or autoimmune disease.


Related Links:
Baylor College of Medicine