Cact and Lwr antagonize Dorsal activity [33–35,45,53], whereas Dorsal represses Ush protein expression. STAT and Srp bind to the ush CRM to activate ush gene expression and thereby maintain Ush protein levels [50,64]. Ush binds to Srp to form a complex that maintains E-cadherin (Ecad) expression. Ecad is required to maintain prohemocyte multipotency and block differentiation [51]. Niche (PSC) in white, MZ prohemocytes are in shades of red, differentiating CZ cells are in shades of grey. The model is a simplification of the total genetic complexity that regulates the prohemocyte population during steady state conditions and does not list all components that control the choice between multipotency and differentiation.