Use of human embryonic stem cells to understand hematopoiesis and hematopoietic stem cell niche.

Intensive research of hematopoiesis using human embryonic stem cells (hESC) as a unique starting cell population has enabled differentiation and isolation of diverse hematopoietic cell lineages. However, there has been only limited success in derivation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) capable of long-term, multi-lineage engraftment when transplanted into xenogeneic models. Better understanding of the HSC developmental niche, the home for hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, will aid to advance strategies to derive and assay putative HSCs from hESCs. This review discusses recent status of hematopoietic development from the hESCs and highlights the possibility of developing HSC niche using hESC-derived niche components.