Factors affecting the growth and differentiation of haemopoietic cells in culture.

The proliferation and differentiation of haemopoietic cells are regulated by haemopoietic growth factors (HGFs). Lineage-specific HGFs regulate mature, developmentally late cells while multilineage HGFs regulate the developmentally early precursors. Several studies indicate that the pleiotropic response to HGFs is similar to the effects caused by other growth factor, such as epidermal growth factor and platelet-derived growth factor, on their respective target cells. The loss of regulation within the pathway of growth factor action may result in neoplastic transformation.