Description
How hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) produce specific lineages is not well understood. We searched for key factors that direct HSC to lymphopoiesis. Comparing gene expression profiles for HSCs and early lymphoid progenitors revealed that Satb1, a global chromatin regulator, was significantly induced with lymphoid lineage specification. HSCs from Satb1-null mouse were defective in lymphopoietic activity in culture, and failed to reconstitute T-lymphopoiesis in wild-type recipients. Furthermore, Satb1-transduction in HSCs, as well as in embryonic stem cells, robustly promoted their differentiation toward lymphocytes in culture.