The long and winding road: from hematopoietic stem cell formation to dysfunction

The hematopoietic and immune landscape is complex. The diversity is generated and sustained by the function of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and progenitor cells that arise independently during embryonic development. HSCs are characterized by their robust, lifelong self-renewal ability and differentiation multipotency, while HSC-independent progenitor capacities and lifespans are more limited. HSC and HSC-independent derived progeny can have distinctive functions with defects in the cells resulting in different disease states. Their important and unique properties are inherent and programmed during ontogeny. We are using the zebrafish to dissect the unique programs controlling the genesis of HSC and HSC-independent progenitors. Moreover, we are exploring how the embryonic environment can shape leukemia formation and evolution into adulthood.