Institute of Stem Cell Research
AG 2: Hematopoiesis > Research Interests
Specific questions include the role and molecular regulation of :
- Asymmetric cell division in self renewal decisions of hematopoietic stem cells
- Signaling pathways and transcription factors in lineage choice decisions
- The interaction of hematopoietic cells with their microenvironment
- Embryonal hematopoiesis
- Leukaemogenesis
Although usually ignored, the ability to observe cell fate decisions with high precision at the single cell level is a crucial prerequisite for most analyses of hematopoietic cells. As blood cells are highly motile and are usually analyzed in suspension cultures, this had been very difficult or impossible.
We have therefore developed a bioimaging system including newly developed software to allow the observation of the behavior of all cells in a hematopoietic culture over long periods of time.
Through a combination of cutting edge technology in stem cell purification and culture, transgenic animals, microscopic imaging, electronic image processing and bioinformatics, the fate decisions of hematopoietic cells can now be documented with highest resolution. This allows defining the exact effects of genes, compounds and the microenvironment on the behavior of blood cells with higher precision than classical approaches.
The following hematopoietic model systems are routinely being used in our laboratory:
- Primary adult hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, purified from mouse bone marrow by high speed multi-color single cell fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS).
- Mouse embryonic stem cells, differentiated in vitro into different mesodermal lineages - in particular into hematopoietic cells.
- Hematopoietic progenitor cell lines like FDCP-mix, 32D and many of the standard myeloid cell lines.
