Blood, 15 March 2003, Vol. 101, No. 6, pp. 2246-2249
HEMATOPOIESIS
Brief report
Identification of 2 novel genes developmentally
regulated in the mouse aorta-gonad-mesonephros region
Claudia Orelio and
Elaine Dzierzak
From the Department of Cell Biology and Genetics,
Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the
Netherlands.
The first adult-repopulating hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs)
emerge in the mouse aorta-gonad-mesonephros (AGM) region at embryonic day 10.5 prior to their appearance in the yolk sac and fetal liver. Although several genes are implicated in the regulation of HSCs, there
are gaps in our understanding of the processes taking place in the AGM
at the time of HSC emergence. To identify genes involved in AGM HSC
emergence, we performed differential display reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (DD RT-PCR). Differentially expressed genes included 
-catenin and homologs of
human TM9SF2 and TAB2. We characterized
the expression pattern of Wnt/-catenin signaling,
mTM9SF2, and mTAB2 in the embryo and
adult. Interestingly, the expression of mouse TAB2 (mTAB2) in
the E11 dorsal aorta endothelium suggests a role for mTAB2 in HSC
emergence and/or regulation. The identification of differentially
expressed genes in the AGM region should yield further insights into
the development of this tissue and into the emergence and regulation of HSCs.
