Hematopoiesis is a complex but precisely regulated process that gives rise to blood cells of all lineages. Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC), which occupy a very distinct niche in the bone marrow, through differentiation give rise to the progenitor cells of lymphoid, myeloid as well as the erythroid lineages. An array of transcription factors (TF) and other signalling molecules control this lineage differentiation process in order to keep us healthy and immune competent. Anomaly in these TFs activity or loss of any component of the signalling pathways very often results in pathological conditions such as immunodeficiency or leukemia and lymphoma.
My lab is interested to elucidate the role of the Nuclear Factor of Activated T cell (NFAT) family TFs in HSC maintenance, differentiation of various lineages, and in the disorders that are associated with this process.
