BCL-2 and BCL-XL restrict lineage choice during hematopoietic differentiation.

Differentiation of hematopoietic cells from multipotential progenitors is regulated by multiple growth factors and cytokines. A prominent feature of these soluble factors is promotion of cell survival, in part mediated by expression of either of the anti-apoptotic proteins, BCL-2 and BCL-XL. The complex expression pattern of these frequently redundant survival factors during hematopoiesis may indicate a role in lineage determination.

Thymic selection revisited: how essential is it?

Intrathymic T cell development represents one of the best studied paradigms of mammalian development. Lymphoid committed precursors enter the thymus and the Notch1 receptor plays an essential role in committing them to the T cell lineages. The pre-T cell receptor (TCR), as an autonomous cell signaling receptor, commits cells to the alphabeta lineage while its rival, the gammadeltaTCR, is involved in generating the gammadelta lineage of T cells.

On the brink of becoming a T cell.

Recent studies provide fresh insight into the mechanisms by which precursor cells are committed to and develop within the T-lymphocyte lineage. Precursor/product studies have identified developmental stages between that of the pluripotent hematopoietic stem cell and thymocytes committed to the T lineage. Specific ligands and signaling pathways interacting with the Notch-1 receptor and its ability to influence commitment within the lymphoid lineage have been described.