Abstract
Spleen colonies produced by sublethally irradiated mouse bone marrow cells were compared to those produced by unirradiated marrow cells in lethally irradiated mice. Sublethally irradiated marrow cells gave rise to many fewer spleen colonies. At seven days of colony age, the ratio of erythroid colonies to granuloid colonies was lower (< 1) than for colonies formed by unirradiated marrow (2 to 3 or more). Delay of harvest of colonies to day 10 or 12 resulted in 6 to 11 fold increase in the ratio of erythroid to granuloid colonies due largely to the belated appearance of erythroid colonies.