Development of lymphoid lineages from embryonic stem cells in vitro

Lymphocyte development proceeds through highly ordered and regulated stages, as multipotent hematopoietic progenitors differentiate into lineage-defined progenitors, and ultimately into mature effector cells. The ability to generate lymphocytes from embryonic stem (ES) cells in vitro should facilitate the study of these complex differentiation steps by providing a model system in which the effects of genetic and nongenetic manipulations can be examined in a controlled setting. These advances may also contribute to future therapeutic approaches. In this article, we describe the procedure for generating functional lymphocytes from mouse ES cells.