Role and Significance of Ikaros Family in the Development of Hematopoietic System -Review / 中国实验血液学杂志

ABSTRACT

Hematopoietic cells are regulated by many transcriptional factors during their development, among them the Ikaros family is one of the most important representatives. They have characteristic conserved structural motifs, binding with DNA specific short sequences-containing key gene promoter or enhancer, to regulate their transcription activity. Meanwhile, the Ikaros family interact with other related transcriptional regulators to regulate the development and differentiation of hematopoietic cells. The structure of the Ikaros family, which belong to the zinc finger transcription factor, including Ikaros, Helios, Aiolos, Eos and Pegasus, are encoded by IKZF1-5 genes, respectively. They are master regulators of hematopoiesis, playing important roles in the occurrence, development and function of hematopoietic cells such as lymphocytes via individual and joint regulation. When working abnormalities, they are often related with the occurrence and development of the disease. In this review, the research achievements of the Ikaros family in recent years are summarized. On the one hand, it is helpful to understand the role and significance of this family in hematopoietic system; on the other hand, it provides the possible research direction for further research work.