Erythroid colony formation from human fetal liver.

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The liver of the human fetus, induced to abort by prostaglandin or by hypertonic saline, contains cells that form colonies in methylcellulose in vitro. Colonies are erythroid as identified by cellular staining of Hb by benzidine. Colony formation is generally similar, with regard to number, size and time of development, to that observed in cultures of nonadherent cells from human adult marrow. Number of colonies observed increases with concentration of erythropoietin used and with concentration of cells plated and decreases with the time interval between intra-amniotic instillation of the inducing agent and culture. Colony number is not greatly influenced by fetal age in the period 16-20 wk or by whether the inducing agent is prostaglandin or hypertonic saline. Prostaglandin- and hypertonic saline-induced abortuses thus provide an abundant source of human fetal erythroid tissue for morphologic and biochemical studies of erythroid development.