THE MAKING OF AN ERYTHROID CELL - MOLECULAR CONTROL OF HEMATOPOIESIS

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 manuscript will describe the molecular mechanisms i nvolved in the process of erythroid differentiation as we understand t hem today. In particular it will review how erythroid specific growth factor-receptor interactions activate specific transcription factors t o turn on the expression of the genes responsible for the establishmen t of the erythroid phenotype.