HEBAlt enhances the T-cell potential of fetal myeloid-biased precursors.

Hematopoiesis is controlled by the interplay between transcription factors and environmental signals. One of the primary determinants of the T-lineage choice is Delta-like (DL)-Notch signaling, which promotes T-cell development and inhibits B-cell development. We have found that the transcription factor HEBAlt is up-regulated in early hematopoietic precursors in response to DL-Notch signaling and that it can promote early T-cell development.

Context-dependent regulation of hematopoietic lineage choice by HEBAlt.

Hematopoietic development is controlled by combinatorial interactions between E-protein transcription factors and other lineage regulators that operate in the context of gene-regulatory networks. The E-proteins HEB and E2A are critical for T cell and B cell development, but the mechanisms by which their activities are directed to different genes in each lineage are unclear. We found that a short form of HEB, HEBAlt, acts downstream of Delta-like (DL)-Notch signaling to promote T cell development.