Antigenic analysis of hematopoiesis: a review

The ability to immunophenotype the heterogeneous populations of cells within bone marrow has given investigators the tools to identify, enumerate, and isolate cells of any lymphohematopoietic lineage. These cells can, in turn, be studied in morphologic, growth, biochemical, and molecular biological assays, and used for clinical transplantation, with or without in vitro expansion. Although the map of normal marrow lymphohematopoiesis has been largely determined, there is still some controversy regarding the identity and maturation pathways of lymphohematopoietic progenitors and stem cells. The currently available information on this area is reviewed and interpreted in this article.