Blood, 15 April 2001, Vol. 97, No. 8, pp. 2293-2299
HEMATOPOIESIS
Spatial localization of transplanted hemopoietic stem cells:
inferences for the localization of stem cell niches
Susan K. Nilsson,
Hayley M. Johnston, and
Judi A. Coverdale
From the Trescowthick Research Laboratories, Peter
MacCallum Cancer Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
The spatial distribution of subpopulations of hemopoietic
progenitor cells following syngeneic transplantation was
investigated at the single-cell level. The location of infused
hemopoietic progenitor cells within the femoral bone marrow of
nonablated recipients was determined by 5-(and-6)-carboxyfluorescein
diacetate succinimidyl ester labeling of cells and in situ fixation by
perfusion. Analysis performed over 15 hours after infusion demonstrated
that the spatial distribution of transplanted marrow cells is not a random process. Although the majority of cells enter the bone marrow
from the central marrow vessels, the subsequent localization within the
bone marrow varied according to their phenotype. Candidate "stem
cells" demonstrated selective redistribution and were significantly enriched within the endosteal region, whereas mature terminally differentiated and lineage-committed cells selectively redistributed away from the endosteal region and were predominantly in the central marrow region. Together, these data strongly support historical evidence of the presence of endosteal hemopoietic stem cell niches.
