Transcription Factors in Blood Development and Leukemia
Our laboratory is interested in the transcriptional regulation of normal blood cell development and leukemia.

All blood cells arise from a small population of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), that have the capacity to both self-renew and mature stepwise into all known blood lineages. HSCs are also the ancestors of leukemic cells. As HSCs mature, they undergo successive changes in gene expression that are orchestrated by transcription factors. The transcriptional apparatus must ensure that genes specific to immature cells are repressed as differentiation proceeds while genes that are necessary for the function of mature blood cells become activated. This is achieved by co-operative action of a variety of lineage specific and general transcription factors. Individual transcription factors function in a highly context sensitive manner, so that in some cases the same transcription factor may even have opposite roles in different lineages. We investigate how key transcription factors establish differentiation specific transcriptional programs and how abnormal transcription factors derail this process to allow for development of leukemia.