Alisha May publishes review on erythroblastic island niche: modeling in health, stress, and disease
Tissue Repair student Alisha May reviews the use of vivo genetic models and in vitro co-culture systems in erythroid cell maturation studies.
Erythropoiesis is one of the most demanding processes in the body, with more than 2 million red blood cells produced every second. Multiple hereditary and acquired red blood cell disorders arise from this complex system, with existing treatments effective in managing some of these conditions but few offering a long-term cure.
Tissue Repair student Alisha May, who is doing her PhD in the lab of Prof Lesley Forretster, has publisehd a review of different in vivo genetic models and in vitro co-culture systems used in this field, and describes how these have been used to identify and characterize the cellular and molecular pathways associated with red blood cell production and maturation.
The authors speculate that these systems could be applied to modeling red blood cell diseases and finding new druggable targets, which would prove especially useful for patients resistant to existing treatments. These models could also aid in research into the manufacture of red blood cells in vitro to replace donor blood transfusions, which is the most common treatment of blood disorders.
Review highlights:
- Erythroid cells mature in association with macrophages within erythroblastic islands.
- Molecular interactions within the erythroblastic island niche are poorly understood.
- In vivo genetic models and in vitro co-culture systems have been used to gain insight.
- These different model systems are reviewed, and the key findings to date are highlighted.