| First Author | Kubo A | Year | 2005 |
| Journal | Blood | Volume | 105 |
| Issue | 12 | Pages | 4590-7 |
| PubMed ID | 15728128 | Mgi Jnum | J:107459 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3621249 | Doi | 10.1182/blood-2004-10-4137 |
| Citation | Kubo A, et al. (2005) The homeobox gene HEX regulates proliferation and differentiation of hemangioblasts and endothelial cells during ES cell differentiation. Blood 105(12):4590-7 |
| abstractText | In this report we have investigated the role of the homeobox gene Hex in the development and differentiation of the blast colony-forming cell (BL-CFC), a progenitor with hemangioblast characteristics generated in embryonic stem (ES) cell-derived embryoid bodies (EBs). Molecular analysis showed that Hex is expressed in mesoderm, in populations that contain BL-CFCs, and in blast cell colonies, the progeny of the BL-CFCs. Hex(-/-) EBs displayed a defect in macrophage development but generated higher numbers of BL-CFCs than did wild-type EBs. In addition to differences in these progenitor populations, we also found that endothelial cells from the Hex(-/-) EBs showed enhanced proliferative potential compared with those from wild-type EBs. Forced expression of Hex at the onset of ES cell differentiation resulted in reduced EB cellularity, fetal liver kinase-1 (Flk-1) expression, and BL-CFC development. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that Hex functions at multiple stages of development within the differentiating EBs and uncover a novel role for this transcription factor as a negative regulator of the hemangioblast and the endothelial lineage. |
