Hemopoiesis in cultures of the bone marrow cells from genetically anemic mice.

An attempt was made to reproduce the in vivo situation of the hemopoiesis in genetically anemic mice in vitro. Cultures of the bone marrow cells from W/Wu, Sl/Sld and control (+/+) mice revealed that all of the hemopoietic stem cells in these mice could be maintained in vitro as well. Similar results were also obtained with the spleen cell cultures. Since these anemic mice have near normal levels of committed progenitor cells, and pluripotent stem cells in Sl/Sld mice, and a subnormal level of functional blood cells sufficient for the survival of the mice, there should be a slow and constant hemopoiesis, under normal conditions. Such a slow but steady production of hemopoietic cells appears to be well reproduced in vitro.