33 research outputs found
SUSY Constraints, Relic Density, and Very Early Universe
The sensitivity of the lightest supersymmetric particle relic density
calculation to different cosmological scenarios is discussed. In particular, we
investigate the effects of modifications of the expansion rate and of the
entropy content in the Early Universe. These effects, even with no
observational consequences, can still drastically modify the relic density
constraints on the SUSY parameter space. We suggest general parametrizations to
evaluate such effects, and derive also constraints from Big-Bang
nucleosynthesis. We show that using the relic density in the context of
supersymmetric constraints requires a clear statement of the underlying
cosmological model assumptions to avoid misinterpretations. On the other hand,
we note that combining the relic density calculation with the eventual future
discoveries at the LHC will hopefully shed light on the Very Early Universe
properties.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures. v2: new figures adde
Virally mediated MafB transduction induces the monocyte commitment of human CD34+ hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells
Upregulation of specific transcription factors is a generally accepted mechanism to explain the commitment of hematopoietic stem cells along precise maturation lineages. Based on this premise, transduction of primary hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells with viral vectors containing the investigated transcription factors appears as a suitable experimental model to identify such regulators. Although MafB transcription factor is believed to play a role in the regulation of monocytic commitment, no demonstration is, to date, available supporting this function in normal human hematopoiesis. To address this issue, we retrovirally transduced cord blood CD34+ hematopoietic progenitors with a MafB cDNA. Immunophenotypic and morphological analysis of transduced cells demonstrated the induction of a remarkable monomacrophage differentiation. Microarray analysis confirmed these findings and disclosed the upregulation of macrophage-related transcription factors belonging to the AP-1, MAF, PPAR and MiT families. Altogether our data allow to conclude that MafB is a key regulator of human monocytopoiesis