[Hematopoiesis. Biological mass production closely regulated by cytokines]

Haematopoiesis is regulated by unrelated, pleiotropic, and diverse regulatory molecules, cytokines, whose membrane receptors are related and restricted to a few families manifesting sequence homology. Most members of the cytokine receptor family which lack tyrosine kinase activity are composed of multiple chains. An accessory signal transducer can be shared by members of the receptor family. Cytokine receptor oligomerisation is required for signal transduction, which includes phosphorylation of receptors and cytoplasmic proteins. Upon ligand binding, the receptors for erythropoietin and G-CSF form homodimers, whereas other members of the receptor family form hetero-oligomers in order to generate high-affinity receptor and signal transduction. In their cytoplasmic part, cytokine receptors contain distinct functional domains, proximal and distal to the membrane, that generate separate signals. Cytokines can be used to minimise chemotherapy-induced neutropenia and treat chronic neutropenia, and to shorten the period of aplasia following bone marrow transplantation.