The molecular basis of B-lineage commitment

Funded Activity Summary

All cells in the blood are the descendants of a single cell type, the stem cell. Stem cells are found in the bone marrow and throughout life have the unique ability to generate more of themselves (termed self-renewal) as well as to produce the functional cell types of the blood, ie. red and white blood cells. This project concentrates on the processes by which these stem cells can achieve these two functions. What are the genes that enable a stem cell to have this self-renewal characteristic and conversely what are the genes that are activated when a cell becomes committed to become, for example, a white blood cell ? We have identified a gene, Pax5, which is essential in the process whereby a stem cell commits to become a lymphocyte . Our aim is to understand the function of Pax5 as a model for understanding how the commitment process as a whole works in the blood. These studies, as well as having an underlying fundamental scientific importance, are relevant to the clinical development of a number of stem cell therapies which rely on boosting stem cell production in procedures such as bone marrow transplantation for leukaemia and immune deficiency. In addition a number of characterised human blood malignancies indicate that inappropriate lineage commitment may be a factor in cancer.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2003

End Date: 01-01-2004

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Project Grants

Funding Amount: $157,000.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Gene Expression

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

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Other Keywords

bone marrow reconstitution | developmental haemopoiesis | differential gene expression | haematological disorders | haematological malignancy | immunodeficiency | lymphocyte differentiation | stem cell therapy | stem cells | transcription factor

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