Flow cytometric analysis of peripheral blood erythrocyte chimerism in alpha-thalassemic mice

A rapid and reliable method for longitudinal studies on the degree of red cell chimerism following bone marrow transplantation of alpha-thalassemic recipient mice is presented. Blood obtained by tail clipping from transplanted mice was analyzed by measuring forward light scatter (FLS) distribution of red cells using a flow cytometer. Amplification and threshold of FLS were specifically adjusted. For flow cytometric analysis, the red cells needed to be suspended in hypotonic saline (103 mmol/l NaCl). Osmotic fragility testing showed that lysis of erythrocytes did not significantly influence the measurements. Flow cytometric measurement allowed for a rapid determination of the degree of red cell chimerism.