Adenosine triphosphate can maintain multipotent haemopoietic stem cells in the absence of interleukin 3 via a membrane permeabilization mechanism.

The survival, proliferation and development of haemopoietic stem cells in vitro requires the presence of specific growth factors such as Interleukin 3, in the absence of these growth factors the cells die very rapidly (8-48 hours). Adenosine triphosphate can maintain an Interleukin 3 dependent stem cell line in the absence of this growth factor for periods up to and beyond 48 hours. This effect of ATP is mediated by an increase in plasma membrane permeability. ATP mediated survival will be an important tool in studying both Interleukin 3 dependence of stem cells and also in the study of stem cell differentiation.