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Hierarchical differentiation of multipotent progenitor cells
Author(s) -
Flickinger Reed A.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
bioessays
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.175
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1521-1878
pISSN - 0265-9247
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1521-1878(199904)21:4<333::aid-bies10>3.0.co;2-x
Subject(s) - histone , cellular differentiation , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , progenitor cell , progenitor , cell , chromatin , genetics , gene , stem cell
Selection of a pathway of differentiation in multipotent progenitor cells may depend on the amount of histone H1 or H1° relative to the core histones. With low levels of these linker histones, it is proposed that an evolutionarily more ancient cell differentiation occurs. Greater repetition of AT‐rich regulatory motifs allows more frequent, hence earlier, transcription of genes, accounting for this type of cell differentiation. It is further proposed that a decrease of total cell protein accumulation leads to an increase of histone H1 or H1° relative to the core histones. It is suggested that these linker histones preferentially bind the more AT‐rich regulatory sequences, thereby restricting the phylogenetically more ancient differentiation potency. This allows differentiation of an evolutionarily younger cell type. BioEssays 21:333–338, 1999. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.