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University of Tennessee Health Science Center

Mechanisms of Erythroid Proliferation and Differentiation: Analysis of the Role of Erythropoietin Receptor in the Friend Virus Model

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

<p>Terminal erythroid differentiation is a precisely regulated process, in which mature red blood cells are generated from late erythroid progenitor cells. Regulation of cellular proliferation, survival and differentiation determines the fate of those cells. Extracellular signaling molecule, particularly erythropoietin (EPO), plays a critical role in this process by activating its receptor (EPOR) which is highly expressed in late erythroid progenitor cells. Although the molecular mechanisms of how EPOR signaling functions have not been entirely elucidated, evidence from genetic studies demonstrated its indispensable role for erythroid survival. In this study, we used Friend disease as a model system to understand the role of EPOR signaling in both Friend disease and normal erythropoiesis. Here we showed that EPOR signaling is not essential for Friend virus-mediated erythroblastosis. However, both EPOR and signal transducer and activation of transcription 5 (STAT5), one of its downstream components, are required for Friend virus-induced polycythemia. Those evidence suggested a STAT5-dependent mechanism to regulate erythroid differentiation. Further studies showed that EPOR signaling has a novel role to induce terminal differentiation in Friend virus anemia strain infected erythroblast (FVA) cells, characterized by exiting cell cycle and expressing erythroid marker genes, which is independent of its established role in survival. More importantly, FVA cells lacking the STAT5 activation fail to undergo terminal differentiation in response to EPO. Taken together, our data support a novel instructive function of EPOR signaling and this function requires STAT5.</p>

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Level thesis:degree_level
On-Campus Dissertation
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Interdisciplinary Program
Year dc:date.available
2008

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Zhang, Ji
Contributors dc:contributor
  • Paul A. Ney, M.D.

Subjects

dc:subject × 14

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Repository record dc:identifier
https://dc.uthsc.edu/dissertations/380
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:dc.uthsc.edu:dissertations-1395

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Base URL
dc.uthsc.edu/do/oai/
Last updated
2026-07-24
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Zhang, Ji. Mechanisms of Erythroid Proliferation and Differentiation: Analysis of the Role of Erythropoietin Receptor in the Friend Virus Model. On-Campus Dissertation thesis, 2008. https://dc.uthsc.edu/dissertations/380