Directed engineering of umbilical cord blood stem cells to produce C-peptide and insulin.

OBJECTIVES: In this study, we investigated the potential of umbilical cord blood stem cell lineages to produce C-peptide and insulin. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Lineage negative, CD133+ and CD34+ cells were analyzed by flow cytometry to assess expression of cell division antigens. These lineages were expanded in culture and subjected to an established protocol to differentiate mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) toward the pancreatic phenotype. Phase contrast and fluorescence immunocytochemistry were used to characterize differentiation markers with particular emphasis on insulin and C-peptide. RESULTS: All 3 lineages expressed SSEA-4, a marker previously reported to be restricted to the ESC compartment. Phase contrast microscopy showed all three lineages recapitulated the treatment-dependent morphological changes of ESCs as well as the temporally restricted expression of nestin and vimentin during differentiation. After engineering, each isolate contained both C-peptide and insulin, a result also obtained following a much shorter protocol for ESCs. CONCLUSIONS: Since C-peptide can only be derived from de novo synthesis and processing of pre-proinsulin mRNA and protein, we conclude that these results are the first demonstration that human umbilical cord blood-derived stem cells can be engineered to engage in de novo synthesis of insulin.

Cord blood revelations: the importance of being a first born girl, big, on time and to a young mother!

Umbilical cord blood (UCB) has become an alternative source for providing haematopoietic stem/progenitor cells as well as non-haematopoietic stem cells, compared to the conventional sources of bone marrow (BM) and peripheral blood (PB). Although UCB has many advantages over BM and PB there are still limitations to its use in the clinical setting, principally cell numbers. Thus, this study aimed to characterise components that comprise UCB samples and the physiological factors that affect them: (i) gender, (ii) obstetric history, (iii) infant birth weight, (iv) gestation stage and (v) mother's age. Our results show that UCB total nucleated cell (TNC) and haematopoietic stem cell (CD45+/CD34+) content is significantly affected by the baby's birth weight, mother's age at delivery, mother's obstetric history, and gestational stage at due date, all with p values<0.0001. The only parameter not found to be significant was gender, although results did suggest that female infants provide greater stem cell numbers than their male counterparts. Other UCB cellular sub-types affected were T-cells, dendritic cells and B-cells. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that many different obstetric factors must be taken into account when processing and cryo-banking UCB units for transplantation.

A standardized procedure to obtain mesenchymal stem/stromal cells from minimally manipulated dental pulp and Wharton's jelly samples.

Transplantation of mesenchymal stem/stromalcells (MSCs) has emerged as an effectivemethod to treat diseased or damagedorgans and tissues, and hundreds of clinicaltrials using MSCs are currently under way todemonstrate the validity of such a therapeuticapproach. However, most MSCs used for clinicaltrials are prepared in research laboratorieswith insufficient manufacturing quality control.In particular, laboratories lack standardizedprocedures for in vitro isolation of MSCs fromtissue samples, resulting in heterogeneouspopulations of cells and variable experimentaland clinical results.MSCs are now referred to as Human CellularTissue-based Products or Advanced TherapyMedicinal Products, and guidelines fromthe American Code of Federal Regulation ofthe Food and Drug Administration (21 CFRPart 1271) and from the European MedicinesAgency (European Directive 1394/2007) definerequirements for appropriate production ofthese cells. These guidelines, commonly called"Good Manufacturing Practices" (GMP),include recommendations about laboratorycell culture procedures to ensure optimal reproducibility,efficacy and safety of the finalmedicinal product. In particular, the Food andDrug Administration divides ex vivo culturedcells into "minimally" and "more than minimally"manipulated samples, in function of theuse or not of procedures "that might alter thebiological features of the cells". Today, minimalmanipulation conditions have not beendefined for the collection and isolation ofMSCs (Torre et al. 2015)(Ducret et al. 2015).Most if not all culture protocols that have beenreported so far are unsatisfactory, becauseof the use of xeno- or allogeneic cell culturemedia, enzymatic treatment and long-termcell amplification that are known to alter thequality of MSCs.The aim of this study was to describe a standardizedprocedure for recovering MSCs withminimal handling from two promising sources,the dental pulp (DP) and the Wharton's jelly(WJ) of the umbilical cord. The quality and homogeneityof the expanded cell populationswere assessed by using flow cytometry withcriteria that go beyond the International Societyof Cellular Therapy (ISCT) guidelines forMSC characterization.

Production of stem cells with embryonic characteristics from human umbilical cord blood.

When will embryonic stem cells reach the clinic? The answer is simple -- not soon! To produce large quantities of homogeneous tissue for transplantation, without feeder layers, and with the appropriate recipient's immunological phenotype, is a significant scientific hindrance, although adult stem (ADS) cells provide an alternative, more ethically acceptable, source. The annual global 100 million human birth rate proposes umbilical cord blood (UCB) as the largest untouched stem cell source, with advantages of naive immune status and relatively unshortened telomere length. Here, we report the world's first reproducible production of cells expressing embryonic stem cell markers, - cord-blood-derived embryonic-like stem cells (CBEs). UCB, after elective birth by Caesarean section, has been separated by sequential immunomagnetic removal of nucleate granulocytes, erythrocytes and haemopoietic myeloid/lymphoid progenitors. After 7 days of high density culture in microflasks, (10(5) cells/ml, IMDM, FCS 10%, thrombopoietin 10 ng/ml, flt3-ligand 50 ng/ml, c-kit ligand 20 ng/ml). CBE colonies formed adherent to the substrata; these were maintained for 6 weeks, then were subcultured and continued for a minimum 13 weeks. CBEs were positive for TRA-1-60, TRA-1-81, SSEA-4, SSEA-3 and Oct-4, but not SSEA-1, indicative of restriction in the human stem cell compartment. The CBEs were also microgravity--bioreactor cultured with hepatocyte growth medium (IMDM, FCS 10%, HGF 20 ng/ml, bFGF 10 ng/ml, EGF 10 ng/ml, c-kit ligand 10 ng/ml). After 4 weeks the cells were found to express characteristic hepatic markers, cytokeratin-18, alpha-foetoprotein and albumin. Thus, such CBEs are a viable human alternative from embryonic stem cells for stem cell research, without ethical constraint and with potential for clinical applications.

c-kit protein (stem cell factor receptor) expression on cells with erythroid characteristics and on normal human bone marrow without the use of monoclonal antibodies.

Stem cell factor (SCF) is a determining and crucial element in the development of early hematopoietic cells. The SCF receptor protein has been identified as the product of the protooncogene c-kit and has been detected using monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) on a broad selection of erythroid, myeloid, and lymphoid cell lines as well as on bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMNC). SCF is known to increase both the number and size of burst-forming unit-erythroid (BFU-E) colonies in normal human BM culture in a dose-dependent fashion. A detailed study of the involvement of SCF and its receptor c-kit in normal erythropoiesis will help elucidate intrinsic irregularities of anemias such as Diamond Blackfan Anemia, an aregenerative congenital anemia. Abnormalities of this heterogeneous disorder are confined to the red cell lineage and are thought to arise through a defect at the stem/progenitor cell level. Our in vitro studies suggest that SCF therapy will influence BFU-E production in at least a portion of these patients, although in another group, SCF response is limited or absent. Additionally, further investigations have shown a possible c-kit signaling defect that clearly necessitates further c-kit characterization. To parallel this, we, therefore, attempted to study the relationship of c-kit with its ligand. This report describes a nonradioactive method for detecting SCF receptors that varies from conventional assays in that the fluorescent label conjugated to the SCF/c-kit complex is connected via an extended-ester linkage that reduces steric influence and promotes full normal structural ligand binding of the SCF to its receptor.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Cord blood processing by a novel filtration system.

OBJECTIVES: Availability of cord blood (CB) processing has been limited by the need for electrically aided centrifugal techniques, which often produce only low final cell product yield. Here, we describe development and characterization of a novel filter device aimed at allowing CB processing, using gentle gravity-led flow. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CB was processed with a novel filter device (CellEffic CB, consisting of non-woven fabric), without any centrifugation. Cells were harvested by flushing the filter with either HES or physiological saline solution (SALINE). Differential cell counts and viability analysis, combined with Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting (FACS) (total nucleated cells [TNC], mononuclear cells [MNC], CD45+ CD34+ cells, hematopoietic precursor cells [HPCs]) and clonogenic assay, were employed for analysis of CB pre- and post-processing, and after freeze/thawing. RESULTS: Processing using the novel filter yielded high quality RBC depletion while maintaining good recovery of TNC, MNC, CD34+, HPCs and colony forming unit (CFU) output. The filter performed equally well using HES or SALINE. Gravity-led flow provided gentle cell movement and protection of the stem cell compartment. Post-thaw CFU output was maintained particularly, an important indicator for CB banking. CONCLUSIONS: Geographical limitations of CB transplantation and banking have required a non-electrical, non-centrifugal solution. This novel filter CellEffic CB device revealed rapid yet gentle cell processing while maintaining the stem/progenitor cell compartment required for both haematological and regenerative medicine therapies.

Thrombopoietin, flt3-ligand and c-kit-ligand modulate HOX gene expression in expanding cord blood CD133 cells.

Haemopoietic stem/progenitor cell (HSPC) development is regulated by extrinsic and intrinsic stimuli. Extrinsic modulators include growth factors and cell adhesion molecules, whereas intrinsic regulation is achieved with many transcription factor families, of which the HOX gene products are known to be important in haemopoiesis. Umbilical cord blood CD133+ HSPC proliferation potential was tested in liquid culture with 'TPOFLK' (thrombopoietin, flt-3 ligand and c-kit ligand, promoting HSPC survival and self-renewal), in comparison to 'K36EG' (c-kit-ligand, interleukins-3 and -6, erythropoietin and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, inducing haemopoietic differentiation). TPOFLK induced a higher CD133+ HSPC proliferation (up to 60-fold more, at week 8) and maintained a higher frequency of the primitive colony-forming cells than K36EG. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed opposite expression patterns for specific HOX genes in expanding cord blood CD133+ HSPC. After 8 weeks in liquid culture, TPOFLK increased the expression of HOX B3, B4 and A9 (associated with uncommitted HSPC) and reduced the expression of HOX B8 and A10 (expressed in committed myeloid cells) when compared to K36EG. These results suggest that TPOFLK induces CD133+ HSPC proliferation, self-renewal and maintenance, up-regulation of HOX B3, B4 and A9 and down-regulation of HOX B8 and A10 gene expression.

Experimental therapies for repair of the central nervous system: stem cells and tissue engineering.

Several stem cell-based therapeutic tools are currently being investigated for the regeneration of central nervous system (CNS) injuries. This review focuses on innovative approaches for CNS tissue repair via the use of implantable cellular devices. These devices are supported by biopharmaceuticals and conventional physiotherapy for the restoration of lost neuronal circuits and CNS function. This paper further reviews new and promising tools currently in pre-clinical and clinical tests for the treatment of CNS diseases where substantial loss of cellular and extracellular components of neural tissue has occurred such as stroke, encephalopathy and traumatic neural injuries. We also discuss selected 3D bioscaffolds co-cultured with clinically applicable human mesenchymal stem cells. Recent advances in neural tissue engineering and stem cell differentiation methods have shown promise for their clinical application in treating yet incurable CNS deficits.

Investigation of diabetes mellitus in Burmese cats as an inherited trait: a preliminary study.

AIM: To investigate, in a pilot study, a possible genetic component to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) in Burmese cats in New Zealand by analysing pedigree data. METHODS: Pedigrees were obtained for 305 Burmese cats living in New Zealand; diabetes was diagnosed in 19 of these due to presence of polyuria and polydipsia, persistent concentrations of glucose in plasma >16 mmol/L and glucosuria prior to insulin treatment. Pedigrees were also submitted for 16 cats with no clinical signs of T2D. The remaining 270 cats were unobserved relatives of these individuals. Inbreeding coefficients and heritability were calculated, and a single major locus model segregation analysis was conducted using pedigree analysis software. RESULTS: Nineteen cats were diagnosed with T2D. Males (n = 14) and females (n = 5) were both affected, suggesting that the gene or genes causing diabetes are autosomal rather than sex-linked. Examination of the pedigree revealed few signs of fully penetrant dominant gene action: diabetes was ostensibly rarely seen in sequential generations and nearly always skipped at least one and often more generations; apparently unaffected offspring of apparently unaffected parents sometimes produced affected progeny. The mean relatedness of the affected animals within the core pedigree (16 diabetic cats) was 0.049, and mean inbreeding 0.033. Based on 100,000 permutations of the trait values, the expected relatedness of a random sample of 16 animals taken from the phenotyped animals would be 0.013 (SD 0.007) (permutation p = 0.0009). The observed inbreeding was also significant (permutation p= 0.02). Heritability was estimated to be 9 (95% CI = 0-57)% assuming all animals with unknown status were unaffected. The best fitting genetic model was a major gene model with dominant expression with the risk allele frequency at 15% with 60% penetrance. CONCLUSIONS: In this pilot study the increased inbreeding in the cases, lack of likely sampling bias, the increased frequency of T2D in Burmese, and small number of breed founders are consistent with the involvement of a major locus in diabetes in Burmese cats with a significant risk allele prevalence. However, low case numbers meant this could not be unambiguously confirmed. A genome-wide association study may be useful for investigating the genetic cause of T2D.

A novel filtration method for cord blood processing using a polyester fabric filter.

INTRODUCTION: Cord blood (CB) is being increasingly used as a source of hematopoietic stem cells for transplantation to treat diseases of the blood and immune systems, and there is an urgent need to expand CB banking worldwide. CB processing requires costly machinery or a clean room that hampers wider application of CBT particularly in the developing countries. METHODS: We developed a novel filtration system using a nonchemical-coated and nonwoven polyester fabric filter, which traps cells through affinity and does not require centrifugation or potentially toxic chemicals. RESULTS: Cell processing with the device resulted in minimum cell loss of total cells and CD34⁺ cells, without impairing the ability of CD34⁺ cells to engraft and differentiate both in vivo and in vitro. CONCLUSION: CB processing with this device is simple, cost-effective, and nontoxic without requiring costly equipment will thus facilitate international CB banking, which helps in meeting the increasing worldwide demand for CB for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

The umbilical cord: a rich and ethical stem cell source to advance regenerative medicine.

Science and medicine place a lot of hope in the development of stem cell research and regenerative medicine. This review will define the concept of regenerative medicine and focus on an abundant stem cell source - neonatal tissues such as the umbilical cord. Umbilical cord blood has been used clinically for over 20 years as a cell source for haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Beyond this, cord blood and umbilical cord-derived stem cells have demonstrated potential for pluripotent lineage differentiation (liver, pancreatic, neural tissues and more) in vitro and in vivo. This promising research has opened up a new era for utilization of neonatal stem cells, now used beyond haematology in clinical trials for autoimmune disorders, cerebral palsy or type I diabetes.

New perspectives in stem cell research: beyond embryonic stem cells.

Although stem cell research is a rather new field in modern medicine, media soon popularized it. The reason for this hype lies in the potential of stem cells to drastically increase quality of life through repairing aging and diseased organs. Nevertheless, the essence of stem cell research is to understand how tissues are maintained during adult life. In this article, we summarize the various types of stem cells and their differentiation potential in vivo and in vitro. We review current clinical applications of stem cells and highlight problems encountered when going from animal studies to clinical practice. Furthermore, we describe the current state of induced pluripotent stem cell technology and applications for disease modelling and cell replacement therapy.

Cycled enteral antibiotics reduce sepsis rates in paediatric patients on long-term parenteral nutrition for intestinal failure.

BACKGROUND: Long-term parenteral nutrition has transformed the prognosis for children suffering from intestinal failure. However, parenteral nutrition itself is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality including that caused by sepsis. AIM: To examine a strategy of cycled enteral antibiotics in reducing the incidence of sepsis in paediatric intestinal failure patients. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of the incidence of sepsis rates of patients on long-term parenteral nutrition, at a tertiary paediatric hospital. Patients were separated into those who received cycled enteral antibiotics and a control group. Sepsis rates before and during cycled enteral antibiotics were compared with comparable timeframes between the cycled enteral antibiotics and control groups. Central venous catheter removal rates were also compared. RESULTS: Fifteen patients (eight cycled enteral antibiotics, & seven controls) received 9512 parenteral nutrition days, with a total of 132 sepsis episodes. All eight patients of the treatment group demonstrated a decrease in the frequency of episodes of sepsis following the introduction of cycled enteral antibiotics. The cycled enteral antibiotics group had a significant reduction in infection rate during the treatment period (from 2.14 to 1.06 per 100 parenteral nutrition days, P = 0.014: median effect size -1.04 CI 95%-1.93, -0.22), whereas the controls had no significant change (1.91 - 2.36 per 100 parenteral nutrition days P = 0.402: median effect size 0.92 CI 95%-1.96, 4.17). The central venous catheter survival rates increased in the cycled enteral antibiotics group from 0.44 central venous catheter removals per 100 parenteral nutrition days to 0.27 central venous catheter removals per 100 parenteral nutrition days, although this was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Cycled enteral antibiotics significantly reduced the rate of sepsis in a small group of paediatric intestinal failure patients. Larger well-designed prospective studies are warranted to further explore this finding.

Umbilical cord blood processing using Prepacyte-CB increases haematopoietic progenitor cell availability over conventional Hetastarch separation.

BACKGROUND: Currently the most frequently used method for umbilical cord blood separation in many hospitals across the UK and the rest of the world, where small-to-medium amounts of samples are processed, is Hetastarch, a mechanical, starch-based method, which causes red cell agglutination by rouleaux formation. AIM: In this study, a novel method (Prepa-Cyte-CB), in comparison with Hetastarch as part of an FDA-approved clinical study, was evaluated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Validation of data included recovery of nucleated and CD34+ cells, red blood cell reduction, colony forming unit potential, flow cytometric analysis and sterility tests. RESULTS: PrepaCyte-CB, in comparison with Hetastarch offers fast, reliable separation with improved recovery of nucleated cells, 72.03% (+/-8.48 SD) compared to 58.09% (+/-20.06 SD), and CD34+ haematopoietic progenitor cells, 76% (+/-19.54 SD) compared to 64.19% (+/-29.77 SD). PrepaCyte-CB was also 12-fold more efficient in removing red blood cells and haemoglobin (P < 0.001) than Hetastarch. CONCLUSIONS: These results show that PrepaCyte-CB offers superior separation of UCB when compared to Hetastarch.

Oct-4A isoform is expressed in human cord blood-derived CD133 stem cells and differentiated progeny.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to establish whether the pluripotent embryonic stem cell marker and nuclear transcription factor Oct-4A isoform is expressed in human umbilical cord blood CD133 stem cells (CD133 cells) and their differentiated progeny. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CD133 cells were examined for expression of the embryonic stem cell marker Oct-4A by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction using primers specific for the coding region of the Oct-4A isoform. Immunocytochemistry and flow cytometry were performed using an antibody raised to a peptide from the unique amino-terminal domain of the Oct-4A isoform, that does not exist in the Oct-4B isoform. Furthermore, specificity was confirmed by pre-adsorption of the antibody with the peptide immunogen. Differentiation was determined before and after expansion in culture, by flow cytometry for haematopoietic stem cell and differentiation markers. For many studies, after 7 days of culture CD133-positive and CD133-negative cells were separated by flow cytometry for additional analyses. Multilineage haematopoietic proliferative potential was determined using colony-forming assays. RESULTS: Freshly isolated CD133 cells expressed Oct-4A mRNA and protein. The cells proliferated rapidly in culture producing only a small proportion of CD133-positive cells and a much larger proportion of non-self-renewing CD133-negative cells. Proliferation was also associated with loss of other adult stem cell markers, gain of differentiated haematopoietic markers, and maintenance of potential to generate haematopoietic lineages. Oct-4A mRNA and protein were expressed throughout these changes. CONCLUSIONS: Oct-4A, which is associated with self-renewal in embryonic stem cells, neither defines nor confers self-renewal to CD133 stem cells.

Potential for access to embryonic-like cells from human umbilical cord blood.

All too often media attention clouds the reality that there are many types of stem cell. The embryos, bone marrow and umbilical cord blood (UCB) are the three most used sources. However, despite what it would appear, embryonic stem cells have not been the first to yield life-saving cures at present. Faster routes to clinical intervention have been using adult stem cells that can be sourced from bone marrow and from cord blood, and that are readily accessible and are more ethically acceptable to the general public. Both these non-embryonic sources have been able to provide sufficient numbers of cells to allow development of clinical translational protocols. Bone marrow-derived cells have been used successfully in myocardial infarct therapy where relining by endothelial tissue has allowed limited reperfusion to damaged cardiac tissue. UCB have also demonstrated significant success for around 20 years in haematotransplantation. With a global human population in excess of 6 billion, births thus UCB, remain the largest untouched source of stem cells available every year. UCB also provide a distinct advantage over other adult stem cells due to the length of the telomere and also due protected immunological status of the developing neonatal environment. The total mutation load in the UCB populations is clearly likely to be significant less than in adult tissues.

Development and Validation of a 3D Clinostat for the Study of Cells during Microgravity Simulation.

The clinostat was originally used to find out why plant roots appear to grow predominantly toward the center of the Earth. Over the last 2-3 decades, slow- and fast-rotating 2D and 3D clinostats have been used to assess cellular adaptation to this environment. A cell culture is placed in a spin module of the clinostat platform and its rotation is set empirically (2-3 rpm). The machine is then allowed to run for a specified period (hours to days) after which the cultures are removed and assayed for specific properties, such as cell growth, size and shape, distribution of receptors, integrity of the cytoskeleton or gene expression. A 3D clinostat was developed by the Microgravity Laboratory/IPCT-PUCRS group and validated by the Stem Cell Group of Kingston University London, which used 4 different types of human cancer cells and cord blood stem cells (CBSC). After rotation for 19h at 37degC, 5%CO2 humidified atmosphere, the 3D clinostat significantly improved proliferation potential of all tested cell populations when compared to static cultures. After only 5 days, high definition microscopic analysis revealed that all CBSC adhered and expanded onto the BDtrade 3D collagen composite scaffolds, and cross-developed into hepatocyte-like cells upon stimulation.

Diamond-Blackfan anaemia: three patterns of in vitro response to haemopoietic growth factors.

Culture of bone marrow from patients with Diamond-Blackfan anaemia (DBA) has previously shown a variable progenitor response to growth factor stimulation. An extensive standardized study has now been undertaken to investigate the presence of distinct sub-groups in this disorder. In vitro response of bone marrow progenitors to recombinant human growth factors, including stem cell factor, was examined in 18 DBA patients and five normal donors, assessing BFU-E, CFU-GM and CFU-GEMM development. In 16 of the DBA patients a synergistic response to combinations of growth factors was observed with optimal growth in cultures containing erythropoietin, interleukin-3 and stem cell factor. Growth factor induced erythroid response formed three distinct groups, based on BFU-E numbers: type I (mean age 4.87 years) showed > 70% normal erythroid response; type II (mean age 13.87 years) showed < 70% normal; and type III (mean age 15.29 years) < 5% normal. CFU-GM response also followed the trigrouping. The results suggest more than one pathogenic mechanism for the erythroid failure in DBA, indicating DBA may be composed of more than one distinct disorder, and further suggest the defect in DBA may not be confined to the erythroid series.

Diamond-Blackfan anaemia in the U.K.: analysis of 80 cases from a 20-year birth cohort.

The U.K. Diamond-Blackfan Anaemia (DBA) Registry was established with the aim of providing a representative database for studies on the aetiology, pathophysiology and treatment of DBA. We have analysed retrospective data from 80 cases (33 male, 47 female) born in the U.K. in a 20-year period (1975-94), representing an annual incidence of 5 per million live births. Ten children from seven families had an apparently familial disorder. 13% were anaemic at birth, and 72.5% had presented by the age of 3 months. 67% had macrocytosis at presentation. 72% responded initially to steroids, and at the time of study 61% were transfusion-independent (45% steroid-dependent) and 39% required regular transfusions. Unequivocal physical anomalies, predominantly craniofacial, were present in 37%, and were more likely in boys (52%) than girls (25%). 18% had thumb abnormalities. Height was below the third centile for age in 28%, and 31% had neither short stature nor physical anomalies. Four children without physical abnormalities had normal red cell indices, and achieved steroid-independent remission, suggesting transient erythroblastopenia of childhood rather than DBA. The birth month distribution of children with sporadic DBA and craniofacial dysmorphism showed a possible seasonality, consistent with a viral aetiology.

A novel approach to investigating the erythroid lineage, using both receptor analysis and haemoglobin detection.

Progenitor cell failure in the erythroid lineage is a particular problem in bone marrow failure. To provide insight into early erythopoietic development we used sensitive techniques to examine the effects of SCF, IL-3 and MIP-1 alpha on two developmentally arrested progenitor cell lines, HEL and K562. Quantitative flowcytometric analysis showed that both expressed receptors (SCF > MIP-1 alpha > IL-3). Qualitative analysis revealed HEL cells expressed more receptors than K562 cells. Clonogenic assays with sensitive haemoglobin detection showed that SCF and IL-3 did not support HEL development and reduced haemoglobin production. MIP-1 alpha reduced partially developed HEL colonies and haemoglobin in developed colonies. SCF increased development, but not haemoglobin in K562 cells, with IL-3 being more effective in both. MIP-1 alpha increased the proportion of well-developed K562 colonies but not haemoglobin. This suggests SCF, IL-3 and MIP-1 alpha all have a role to play in early erythroid cellular development, with differing actions depending on the stage of development.