The Polycomb group gene Ezh2 prevents hematopoietic stem cell exhaustion introduction

Blood. 2006 March 1; 107(5): 2170–2179.

Hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) self-renewal is driven by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors, but the molecular mechanism specifying whether developmental potential is lost or retained during asymmetric cell divisions is unknown. Serial transplantation studies have clearly indicated that self-renewal potential of HSCs is impaired after replicative stress.1,2 HSC activity may be irreversibly lost in a single cell division,3,4 indicating that the epigenetic regulation of gene expression, largely dictated by the histone code, may play an important role. Recently, substantial attention has focused on the role of Polycomb group (PcG) proteins in stem cell self-renewal.,