Abstract
In all vertebrates, the cell nucleus becomes highly condensed and transcriptionally inactive during the final stages of red cell biogenesis. Enucleation, the process by which the nucleus is extruded by budding off from the erythroblast, is unique to mammals. Enucleation has critical physiological and evolutionary significance in that it allows an elevation of hemoglobin levels in the blood and also gives red cells their flexible biconcave shape. Recent experiments reveal that enucleation involves multiple molecular and cellular pathways that include histone deacetylation, actin polymerization, cytokinesis, cell-matrix interactions, specific microRNAs and vesicle trafficking; many evolutionarily conserved proteins and genes have been recruited to participate in this uniquely mammalian process. In this review, we discuss recent advances in mammalian erythroblast chromatin condensation and enucleation, and conclude with our perspectives on future studies.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 409-415 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Trends in Cell Biology |
| Volume | 21 |
| Issue number | 7 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jul 2011 |
Funding
This study was supported by NIH grant P01 HL 32262, a research grant from Amgen (to H.F.L.) and by intramural funds from the Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory to M.M.-H. P.J. is the recipient of a Leukemia and Lymphoma Society fellowship and a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00).
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Cell Biology