Isolation and characterisation of a bipotential haematopoietic cell line

Abstract

VARIOUS cell lines have been used to study the regulation of proliferation and differentiation, and events occurring during mutagenesis and carcinogenesis. These include ‘normal’ cell lines which, however, frequently show chromosome changes, especially aneuploidy, and where normality is based essentially on the nontumorigenic capacity of the cells. Whether such cells retain the ability to fulfil their genetically programmed functional state in vivo has not been determined. Moreover, although studies using transformed, tumorigenic cells (Friend leukaemia¹, myeloid leukaemia² and neuroblastoma³) have given useful information on some of the factors involved in differentiation, the fact that the cells are tumorigenic indicates that caution must be exercised in the interpretation of results. We report that we have now isolated and cloned an autonomous haematopoietic cell line where the cells have a diploid complement of chromosomes, are non-tumorigenic and bipotential (can be induced to differentiate in vivo into two distinct haematopoietic lineages), and which in appropriate circumstances protect mice from potentially lethal radiation.