Dynamic expression of Erg controls fetal-to-adult maturation of the hematopoietic system [ChIP-seq]

Adults and children are affected by different types of blood diseases. We hypothesize that this is due to differences in normal blood formation between infants, children, and adults. Our laboratory focuses on understanding these age-related differences in blood formation as a foundation upon which to improve understanding of blood diseases. In this project, we extend our previous work to understand how hallmarks of young versus mature blood formation – for example, the types of mature blood cells produced – are controlled at the genetic level. I will use a combination of mouse models, genetic manipulation, and genetic profiling to test our hypothesis that the key blood stem cell factor Erg controls the age state of blood formation. Overall design: To understand how Erg controls programs regulating the fetal to adult hematopoietic transition, we performed RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) for the active histone mark lysine 27 acetylation (H3K27Ac) on lineage negative HSPCs of defined genotypes. RNA-seq and ChIP-seq were performed to compare the transcriptome between wild-type (WT) fetal liver, WT bone marrow, and Erg+/- bone marrow lineage negative cells by negative selection using biotinylated lineage antibodies and streptavidin beads.