6533b82dfe1ef96bd1290f94

RESEARCH PRODUCT

The role of the transcription factor hsf1 in zebrafish erythropoiesis

subject

description

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are reported to play an important role in erythropoiesis. The expression of HSP genes is mainly controlled by Heat shock factor 1 (HSF1), a highly conserved transcription factor. So far, a detailed understanding of the function of HSF1 in erythropoiesis remains uncharacterized. This study has employed zebrafish as a relevant model to investigate the role of Hsf1 during embryonic erythropoiesis. We established hsf1-disrupted zebrafish lines using the CRISPR/Cas9 technology and performed phenotypic analyses throughout embryogenesis. We found that Hsf1 deficient embryos had a decreased number of primitive erythrocytes, while erythrocyte number in adults was unchanged. In Hsf1 deficient embryos, expression of embryonic a and b-globin genes was reduced as well as gata1 expression. In addition, the morphology of erythrocytes suggested an inhibition of erythrocyte maturation. On the other hand, no significant changes were observed in myeloid cells.Altogether our results support a key role for Hsf1 in erythrocyte maturation in vivo.