Ikaros Chromatin Remodeling Complexes in the Control of Differentiation of the Hemo-lymphoid System

In many developmental systems, progenitor cells respond to cues they receive from their microenvironmentby assuming distinct cell fates. Nuclear factors that prepare such pluripotent cells to undergo the appropriate responses to extrinsic signals and give rise to distinct lineages provide an essential framework for differentiation.Their mode of action includes changes in the structure ofchromatin, and possibly in its nuclear organization, andaffects the transcription of associated genes, expressionof which can be a prerequisite for lineage progression.Here, we report our studies on the Ikaros family of proteins which fulfill both the biological and molecular criteria for being lineage-determining nuclear factors in thehemo-lymphopoietic system...