The transcriptional regulation of normal and malignant blood cell development

Development of multicellular organisms requires the differential usage of our genetic information to change one cell fate into another. This process drives the appearance of different cell types that come together to form specialized tissues sustaining a healthy organism. In the last decade, by moving away from studying single genes toward a global view of gene expression control, a revolution has taken place in our understanding of how genes work together and how cells communicate to translate the information encoded in the genome into a body plan. The development of hematopoietic cells has long served as a paradigm of development in general. In this review, we highlight how transcription factors and chromatin components work together to shape the gene regulatory networks controlling gene expression in the hematopoietic system and to drive blood cell differentiation. In addition, we outline how this process goes astray in blood cancers. We also touch upon emerging concepts that place these processes firmly into their associated subnuclear structures adding another layer of the control of differential gene expression.