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Human B-lymphopoiesis is supported by bone marrow-derived stromal cells
K McGinnes1, V Quesniaux, J Hitzler
1Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, Ontario Cancer Institute, Toronto, Canada.
Insights
Human bone marrow stromal cells support B-lymphopoiesis in vitro. These cells, derived from long-term bone marrow cultures, promote the growth and differentiation of B-lineage cells into immunoglobulin-secreting cells.
Area of Science:
- Hematology
- Immunology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- An in vitro culture system for normal human bone marrow B-lineage cells has been established.
- The human bone marrow microenvironment's role in B-lymphopoiesis requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of bone marrow stromal cells on B-lymphopoiesis using an established B-cell colony assay.
- To determine if stromal cells can support the growth and differentiation of B-lineage cells in vitro.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a double-agar B-cell colony assay with human bone marrow stromal cells as an adherent underlayer.
- Established long-term bone marrow cultures (LTBMC) from human bone marrow spicules to obtain stromal cells.
Main Results:
- Bone marrow stromal cells fully supported the growth and differentiation of B-lineage cells in the B-cell colony assay.
- Immature and mature B-lineage cells differentiated into colonies producing immunoglobulin when cultured on stromal cells.
- Stromal cells from spicule-derived LTBMCs retained their supportive capacity for B-cell colony formation for up to 9 months.
Conclusions:
- Human bone marrow stromal cells are crucial components of the microenvironment that support B-lymphopoiesis.
- The B-cell colony assay using stromal cell underlayers is effective for studying B-lymphopoiesis in vitro.
- These findings highlight the sustained ability of bone marrow stromal cells to foster B-cell development.
Abstract:
We have recently reported an in vitro culture system that allows the clonal growth and differentiation of normal human bone marrow B-lineage cells. In the report presented here, we have used this B-cell colony assay to study the influence of cellular components of the human bone marrow microenvironment on B-lymphopoiesis. It is demonstrated that bone marrow stromal cells were able to provide all the necessary requirements for the growth and differentiation of B-lineage cells under the conditions of the B-cell colony assay. These stromal cells were obtained from long-term bone marrow cultures (LTBMC) that had been established from the spicules in human bone marrow. When these stromal cells were plated as an adherent underlayer in the double-agar B-cell colony assay, both immature and mature B-lineage cells were induced to differentiate into colonies containing cells that secreted immunoglobulin. The stromal cells from these spicule-derived LTBMCs maintained the capacity to support B-cell colony formation for up to 9 months.