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Erythroblast macrophage protein (Emp): Past, present, and future
Author(s) -
Javan Gulnaz T.,
Salhotra Amandeep,
Finley Sheree J.,
Soni Shivani
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
european journal of haematology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1600-0609
pISSN - 0902-4441
DOI - 10.1111/ejh.12983
Subject(s) - erythroblast , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , macrophage , cytoskeleton , actin , cytoplasm , actin cytoskeleton , downregulation and upregulation , function (biology) , cell , genetics , in vitro , gene , haematopoiesis , stem cell
This review is a journey of the landmark erythroblast macrophage protein (Emp) discovered in 1994, and it walks chronologically through the progress that has been made in understanding the biological function of this protein. Historically, Emp was the first identified cell attachment molecule and is expressed in both erythroblasts and macrophages and mediates their attachments to form erythroblastic islands. The absence of Emp erythroblasts shows defects in differentiation and enucleation. Emp‐deficient macrophages display immature morphology characterized by small sizes, round shapes, and the lack of cytoplasmic projections. Although the primary sequence of Emp has already been determined and its role in both erythroid and macrophage development is well established, there are major gaps in the understanding of its function at the molecular level. Recent studies had implicated its importance in actin cytoskeleton remodeling and cell migration, but the molecular mechanisms are still enigmatic. Previous studies have also demonstrated that downregulation of Emp affects the expression of mitogen‐associated protein kinase 1 ( MAPK 1) and thymoma viral protooncogene ( AKT ‐1) resulting in abnormal cell motility. In this review, we summarize the proposed function of Emp based on previous studies, present scenarios, and its plausible future in translational research.