MOLECULAR CONTROL OF ERYTHROID-DIFFERENTIATION

The number of circulating red cells is regulated by the daily balance between two processes: the destruction of the old red cells in the liv er and the generation of new cells in the bone marrow. The process dur ing which hematopoietic stem cells generate new red cells is called er ythropoiesis. This article describes the most recent advances in molec ular and cellular biology which have allowed the identification of the molecular mechanisms involved in the process of erythroid differentia tion. It reviews the cellular compartments involved in the process, wh at is known on how these cells respond to erythroid specific growth fa ctors and how the cells progressively activate specific transcription factors in order to express genes involved in the establishment of the erythroid phenotype.