Submitted June 13, 2008
Accepted December 14, 2008
Essential role of spi-1-like (spi-1l) in zebrafish myeloid cell differentiation
Alex Bukrinsky, Kevin J.P. Griffin, Yan Zhao, Shuo Lin, and Utpal Banerjee*
Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
Molecular Biology Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
* Corresponding author; email: banerjee{at}mbi.ucla.edu.
The ETS protein Spi-1/Pu.1 plays a pivotal and widespread role throughout hematopoiesis in many species. This study describes the identification, characterization and functional analysis of a new zebrafish spi transcription factor spi-1-like (spi-1l) that is expressed in primitive myeloid cells, erythro-myelo progenitor cells, and in the adult kidney. Spi-1l functions genetically downstream of etsrp, scl, and spi-1/pu.1 in myeloid differentiation. Spi-1l is co-expressed in a subset of spi-1/pu.1 cells and its function is necessary and sufficient for macrophage and granulocyte differentiation. These results establish a critical role for spi-1l in zebrafish myeloid cell differentiation.
