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Department of Pediatrics

Steiner Lab

Pediatrics / Steiner Lab / Current Research Projects / Epigenetic Control of Erythropoiesis

 

Epigenetic Control of Erythropoiesis

Epigenetic Control of Erythropoeisis Setd8-ErGFPCre

Healthy adults produce approximately 2 million red blood cells per second to maintain steady state and avoid anemia. Erythropoiesis, the production of a mature red blood cell from a committed progenitor, is a complex and highly regulated process. Disruption of this process results in insufficient red cell production and anemia.

The Steiner lab has a long standing interest in studying the epigenetic control of erythropoiesis.

The goal of our work is to delineate how chromatin modifiers interact with transcription factors to regulate erythroid differentiation and maturation. We are also interested in understanding how perturbation of these interactions contributes to the development of anemia. To gain insights into the molecular control of erythropoiesis, our laboratory uses a combination of high throughput genomic assays, functional studies, and animal models. Our currents studies are focused on determining the function of the histone methyltransferase Setd8 and histone H4 lysine 20 methylation during terminal erythroid maturation. To date, our laboratory has shown that this chromatin modifier is essential for the survival and maturation of erythroblasts, and that it has an important role in the regulation of erythroid gene expression.

Recent Publications