Cellular interactions in erythroblastic islands in long-term bone marrow cultures, as studied by time-lapse video

Long-term bone marrow cultures (LTBMC) are readily converted from the usual granulopoietic to erythropoietic production by the addition of anemic mouse serum (AMS). The "statics" of proliferation and maturation, previously shown by ultrastructural methods to closely mirror the in vivo situation, were studied dynamically using a time-lapse video system. Several cell pedigrees were followed, but the most complete series showed three successive divisions and subsequent enucleations in the progeny of three synchronously mitotic cells observed in the culture; this is indicative of a five division sequence in the erythron. As in erythroblastic islets observed in marrow in vivo, the striking synchrony of maturation was maintained in vitro. Furthermore, when some of the erythroid progeny became displaced to other macrophages, the synchrony, which was maintained by the original erythroid group on the original erythroblastic islet macrophage, was lost. Time-lapse video, which is inexpensive to run and can be maintained in continuous recording for many weeks, is an ideal technique for recording both erythroid cell pedigrees, and the initial events leading to the formation of an erythroblastic islet in vitro after stimulation with AMS.