Many layers of embryonic hematopoiesis: new insights into B-cell ontogeny and the origin of hematopoietic stem cells

Functionally defined, hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) have the unique ability to reconstitute the entire hematopoietic program of a conditioned adult recipient, which implies the capacity for homing and engraftment in the bone marrow niche, for life-long self-renewal, and for multilineage hematopoietic differentiation. During embryonic development, HSCs arise from specialized hemogenic endothelium residing in arterial blood vessels in a process referred to as the endothelial to hematopoietic transition (EHT) [1] before they undergo further maturation and expansion in the liver during the fetal period and finally home to the bone marrow.
Source: Experimental Hematology - Category: Hematology Authors: Source Type: research