Description
DLL1(DELTA-LIKE 1), also known as DL1 or DELTA1, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the DLL1 gene. DLL1 is a human homolog of the Notch Delta ligand and is a member of the delta/serrate/jagged family. It plays a role in mediating cell fate decisions during hematopoiesis, and it is also important in cell-to-cell communication. This gene is mapped to chromosome 6q27, near a locus for type I diabetes. Functional analysis suggested that a soluble fusion protein containing the DSL domain of DLL1 and its adjacent 50 N-terminal amino acids increased the viability of hemopoietic cells but inhibited cell death. It has been found that DLL1 blocks the differentiation of progenitor cells into the B-cell lineage while promoting the emergence of a population of cells with the characteristics of a T-cell/NK-cell precursor