Signal, Transduction, and the Hematopoietic Stem Cell

Abstract

The hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) is a unique cell positioned highest in the hematopoietic hierarchical system. The HSC has the ability to stay in quiescence, to self-renew, or to differentiate and generate all lineages of blood cells. The path to be actualized is influenced by signals that derive from the cell's microenvironment, which activate molecular pathways inside the cell. Signaling pathways are commonly organized through inducible protein-protein interactions, mediated by adaptor proteins that link activated receptors to cytoplasmic effectors. This review will focus on the signaling molecules and how they work in concert to determine the HSC's fate.