Introduction to a review series on normal and pathologic erythropoiesis

Abstract

Edited by Associate Editor Mario Cazzola, this review series highlights 3 specific areas of scientific and clinical advances in understanding disorders of red cell production. Nobel laureate Gregg Semenza focuses on the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) pathway, from discovery through the understanding of its role in regulation of erythropoiesis to the potential of HIF inhibitors as therapy. In the second article, Caulier and Sankaran update the concepts of regulation of erythroid differentiation. Complementing these 2 articles, Cazzola provides a review on the clinical problem of ineffective erythropoiesis; this article highlights the interplay between inherited and acquired anemias due to ineffective erythropoiesis and iron-loading and the prospects for improved therapies.