Erythropoiesis is the process that produces red blood cells. In vertebrates, this process occurs into two waves defined as primitive and definitive erythropoiesis. This thesis project aimed at better understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in the specification of mesodermal cells into erythroid lineage during zebrafish embryogenesis.

My work defined new genes expressed in the primitive erythroid progenitors territory and a new regulator of erythropoiesis in zebrafish. These new genes might lead to an improvement of the understanding of human diseases linked to a defect in erythropoiesis.