The basic helix-loop-helix protein SCL and its role in haematopoietic development

• Main Author: Hayward, Penelope Caroline
• Published: University of Cambridge 2001
• Subjects: 612.1
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.603895

The SCL gene encodes a basic helix-loop-helix protein that has a critical role in the normal development of all haematopoietic lineages, as well as an oncogenic role in T cell leukaemogenesis. SCL is suspected to function as a tissue specific transcription factor, but the mechanisms by which SCL mediates its functions are unclear. Identification and characterisation of protein-protein interactions SCL should begin to unravel the roles of this protein. As SCL is expressed in committed erythroid, mast and megakaryocytic cells as well as early haematopoietic progenitor cells, yeast-two-hybrid screens of haematopoietic cell line cDNA libraries were conducted to identify potential SCL interaction partner proteins. cDNA libraries were generated from an early haematopoietic progenitor cell line and a megakaryocytic cell line. These screens using both these libraries and a mouse E10.5 embryo cDNA library identified a range of potential interaction partners for the SCL protein. PolyA<SUP>+</SUP> RNA was isolated from a wide range of haematopoietic cell lines, and embryonic tissues and Northern blot analysis was then used to investigate the expression patterns of these potential interaction partners. The combination of this expression data and data gathered from sequence analysis using bioinformatics programs was used to assess which of the proteins identified was the most promising candidate SCL interaction partner. The association between SCL and the IFNα inducible protein IFI60 was investigated.