An essential cell cycle regulator drives chromatin condensation in maturing erythroblasts

We report that Setd8 is essential for murine erythropoeisis. Setd8 null erythroblasts have severe defects in cell cycle progression, chromatin condensation,and heterochromatin integrity. They also have dysregulated gene expression. Ter119+,CD71+ Setd8 null and control erythroblasts were sorted from the fetal blood of E10.5 embryos. RNA from those erythroblasts was sent for RNA-seq.