From the yolk sac to the spleen: New roles for Notch in regulating hematopoiesis.

Although Notch receptors are widely expressed during hematopoiesis, their roles outside of the T cell lineage are not well characterized. Two reports in this issue of Immunity show that Notch1 and Notch2, respectively, are required to generate the earliest embryonic hematopoietic stem cells and splenic marginal zone B cells. Thus, different Notch receptors have specific and nonoverlapping functions that influence multiple hematopoietic lineages at various stages of development.