Gene Expression Imaging in Hematopoiesis

Hematopoiesis, or the process of blood production, has long served as a prototype for stem cell biology research owing to the relative ease of obtaining blood as well as functional testing in vitro and in vivo (through stem cell transplantation). One central question in the field over the last century is how the various forms and phenotypes of blood cells arise from a common pool of hematopoietic stem cells. Key to that exercise have been in depth studies into how the genes required for cell differentiation are expressed and regulated. Paramount to these efforts have been single cell analysis techniques, which have helped resolve heterogeneity at multiple levels of hematopoietic regulation. Recently, as major advances in the fields of quantitative microscopy and systems biology have revolutionized modern molecular biology, the hematopoietic research community has begun to employ these techniques, leading to significant advances in our understanding of blood production. In this review, we discuss the historical role imaging has played in developing heuristics in the field of hematopoiesis research and, importantly, discuss the exciting areas being explored with novel and innovative technologies. Finally, we close with a discussion of the main challenges that will face the field going forward.