Haemopoiesis in long-term cultures of liver, spleen and bone marrow of pre- and postnatal mice: CFU-GM production

The CFU-GM yield in confluent long-term cultures (LTC) derived from liver, spleen and bone marrow cells at different gestational and postnatal ages has been studied after the stromal adherent layer reached confluency. The stromal cell compartment of fetal and neonatal haemopoietic organs is able to sustain haemopoiesis in vitro. Moreover, the granulocyte-macrophage stem cell (CFU-GM) yield of these LTC reflects the CFU-GM content of the haemopoietic organs from which the cultures are originated. LTC from the liver produce high numbers (between 100 and 150 CFU-GM per well) of CFU-GM if the cultures are derived from fetal livers between 13 d of gestation and birth. Cultures from spleens just before and after birth, give maximal CFU-GM numbers (between 50 and 100 CFU-GM per well). The CFU-GM yield in long-term bone marrow cultures increases 10 times from 17-day-old fetus towards adult life (between 700 and 1000 CFU-GM per well).