Erythroid differentiation and the cell cycle: some implications from murine foetal and erythroleukemic cells.

On the basis of observations with (1) erythropoietin induced erythroid differentiation of foetal mouse liver proerythroblasts and (2) chemically induced expression of the erythroid program in MELC, it appears that DNA replication plays a critical role in the transition to haemoglobin formation. Erythropoietin acts selectively on proerythroblasts to stimulate first housekeeping RNA species (rRNA, tRNA), then cell proliferation and differentiation. In erythro-leukemia cells expression of the erythroid program is induced by a variety of polar compounds. DNA synthesis appears requisite to this transition to haemoglobin formation, The molecular site of action of inducing compounds is not established but it is suggested that one critical effect is on the structure of chromatin which occurs during DNA replication and results in the transcription of the erythropoietic gene program.