Department of Haematology, Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Br J Haematol. 2010 Feb;148(3):343-55. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2141.2009.07953.x. Epub 2009 Oct 22.
Unravelling the embryonic origins of the haematopoietic system has been the subject of sustained research for more than a century. Nevertheless, many important questions are still either unanswered or remain a matter of intense debate. Recent progress in mouse and embryonic stem cell model systems as well as imaging and post-genomic technologies has provided new insights into many of these open questions. Here we place into context recent reports on the anatomical site of blood stem cell emergence and, using red blood cells as an example, illustrate how the development of stem cells and the other blood lineages is both temporally and spatially decoupled. In addition, we outline how embryonic stem cell assays are increasingly used as a powerful surrogate for studying lineage relationships and developmental potential of early embryonic blood progenitors. Finally, we review how recent progress in the reconstruction of transcriptional regulatory networks is beginning to define the connectivity between key regulators that control early blood development. In light of these rapid recent advances, research into the embryonic origins of the haematopoietic system should remain one of the most vibrant disciplines within the wider field of haematology for the foreseeable future.
解析造血系统的胚胎起源已经是一个多世纪以来持续研究的课题。然而，许多重要的问题仍然没有答案，或者仍然是激烈争论的话题。近年来，在小鼠和胚胎干细胞模型系统以及成像和后基因组技术方面的进展为许多悬而未决的问题提供了新的见解。在这里，我们将最近关于血液干细胞出现的解剖部位的报告置于背景中，并以红细胞为例，说明干细胞和其他血液谱系的发育在时间和空间上是如何分离的。此外，我们概述了胚胎干细胞测定如何越来越多地被用作研究早期胚胎血液祖细胞谱系关系和发育潜能的有力替代方法。最后，我们回顾了最近在转录调控网络重建方面的进展如何开始定义控制早期血液发育的关键调节因子之间的连接。鉴于这些最近的快速进展，在可预见的未来，造血系统的胚胎起源研究应该仍然是血液学这一更广泛领域中最活跃的学科之一。
