Physiological concentrations of atrial natriuretic factor stimulate human erythroid progenitors in vitro

Human alpha-ANF[1-28] potentiated erythroid colony formation up to four-fold in cultures containing erythropoietin. Both early and late erythroid precursor cells responded to alpha-ANF[1-28] [0.032 to 1 nM] in a dose dependent fashion. Removal of T lymphocytes and macrophages which have been shown to modulate erythropoiesis did not abolish the stimulatory effect. All major circulatory forms of ANF (alpha-ANF[1-28], alpha-ANF[4-28] and alpha-ANF[5-28]) had potent erythropoietic activity. These results indicate that concentrations of ANF reached during hypoxia stimulate erythroid progenitor cells in the presence of erythropoietin.