Haemoglobin synthesis in human fetal liver maintained in short-term tissue culture.

Human fetal liver maintained in tissue culture has been examined as a model system for studying the factors involved in the switch from fetal to adult haemoglobin production. In erythropoietin-treated cultures alpha-, beta- and gamma-chain synthesis remains active for up to 12 days. Globin-chain synthesis is balanced and the alpha/beta + gamma-chain production ratio remains constant up to about 8 days; in longer cultures gamma-chain production declines before that of beta chains. It is concluded that the system may be useful for examining factors involved in the switch from gamma- to beta-chain production provided that these are acting on cells already committed to the erythroid compartment.