Abstract
It is generally conceded that selective combinations of transcription factors determine hematopoietic lineage commitment and differentiation. Here we show that in normal human hematopoiesis the transcription factor nuclear factor I-A (NFI-A) exhibits a marked lineage-specific expression pattern: it is upmodulated in the erythroid (E) lineage while fully suppressed in the granulopoietic (G) series. In unilineage E culture of hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs), NFI-A overexpression or knockdown accelerates or blocks erythropoiesis, respectively: notably, NFI-A overexpression restores E differentiation in the presence of low or minimal erythropoietin stimulus. Conversely, NFI-A ectopic expression in unilineage G culture induces a sharp inhibition of granulopoiesis. Finally, in bilineage E + G culture, NFI-A overexpression or suppression drives HPCs into the E or G differentiation pathways, respectively. These NFI-A actions are mediated, at least in part, by a dual and opposite transcriptional action: direct binding and activation or repression of the promoters of the beta-globin and G-CSF receptor gene, respectively. Altogether, these results indicate that, in early hematopoiesis, the NFI-A expression level acts as a novel factor channeling HPCs into either the E or G lineage.