Long-term haemopoietic injury in mice after repeated irradiation: precursor-cell cycling and its regulation

The cycling rate of haemopoietic stem cells (day 9 CFU-S) and granulocyte-macrophage colony forming cells (GM-CFC) in mouse femora was, in response to reduced numbers, elevated at all times of sampling between 3 weeks and 10 months after 4 repeated doses of 4.5 Gy X-rays (3 wk between doses). The level of a stimulator of CFU-S cycling was also elevated, and this was observed in both axial and marginal regions of the marrow inside the shaft. However, the rate of production of the stimulator was low; lower than previously reported in marrow regenerating after a single dose of 4.5 Gy, indicating damage to the regulatory stromal cells. The distribution of CFU-S across the axial and marginal zones of femoral marrow was changed from that in normal mice, where higher concentrations were found near the bone surface, to a more uniform distribution.