Stromal cells from murine developing hemopoietic organs: Comparison of colony-forming unit fibroblasts and long-term cultures

R. Van den Heuvel, E. Mathieu, G. Schoeters, H. Leppens, O. Vanderborght

    Research outputpeer-review

    Abstract

    The adherent stromal layer in long-term marrow cultures is essential to the proliferation and differentiation of hemopoietic cells. Adhering cells are heterogeneous and morphologically not adequately characterized. Comparative morphological studies were conducted on adherent cells in short-term clonal assays and long-term cultures derived from liver and bone marrow. Liver and bone marrow at different developmental ages have different hemopoietic activities in vivo and in vitro, as tested via CFU-GM recovery in long-term cultures. Adherent cells from each organ were recovered at an age with high hemopoietic activity (fetal liver and adult bone marrow) and at an age with low hemopoietic activity (neonatal liver and bone marrow). The presence of macrophages, alkaline phosphatase, acid phosphatase, myeloperoxidase, sulfated and non-sulfated glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and fibronectin was compared. For a given organ, CFU-ff colonies showed characteristics similar to those of the confluent adherent stromal layer in long-term cultures. The presence of macrophages and GAGs (sulfated and non-sulfated) in the adherent layer were directly related to the hemopoietic activity. The amount of alkaline phosphatase-positive cells and the amount of fibronectin showed no correlation with the hemopoietic activity of the cultures.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)33-41
    Number of pages9
    JournalInternational Journal of Developmental Biology
    Volume35
    Issue number1
    StatePublished - 1991

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Embryology
    • Developmental Biology

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