Stromal colony-stimulating activity production and myeloid colony- forming
cells in human hemopoietic and nonhemopoietic bone marrow
RS Schwartz and PL Greenberg
In order to evaluate the role of the stromal bone marrow microenvironment
in regulating granulopoiesis, we have examined the capacity of adult human
proximal hemopoietic (PH) and distal nonhemopoietic (DNH) long bone to
produce colony-stimulating activity (CSA), characterized the cellular
sources of CSA, and quantitated the colony-forming cells (CFU-GM) of marrow
from these sites. Stromal elements were obtained from slices of cancellous
bone. PH bone marrow stroma contained CFU-GM concentrations similar to
aspirated PH marrow and significantly more CFU-GM than DNH bone marrow:
20.7 +/- 4.8/10(5) cells and 25.8 +/- 12.0/mg bone versus 0.81 +/-
0.34/10(5) cells and 0.02 +/- 0.01/mg bone (p less than 0.001). Conditioned
media prepared from PH and DNH bone were quantitated for CSA by their
ability to promote in vitro granulocyte colony formation of nonadherent
human marrow cells. Stromal CSA production was destroyed by freeze--thawing
and was radioresistant (4400 rad). Of DNH stromal cells, 15%--30% were
monocyte-macrophage, but the slow absolute numbers of these cells suggested
alternative CSA cellular sources in distal bones. PH stroma produced
significantly more CSA than DNH bone stroma: 0.72 +/- 0.10 versus 0.30 +/-
0.06 U/mg bone (p less than 0.01). The CSA concentration gradient between
PH and DNH bones may contribute to the regulation of granulopoiesis in
marrow and to the absence of hemopoiesis distally.
Volume 57,
Issue 4,
pp. 771-780,
04/01/1981
Copyright © 1981 by The American Society of Hematology
