title: Characteristics of circulating megakaryocyte progenitors (CFU-MK) in patients with primary myelofibrosis.
abstract: Characteristics of circulating CFU-MK and the effect of serum and plasma on CFU-MK growth were studied in 14 patients with primary myelofibrosis (MF) using short- and long-term culture methods. The number of CFU-MK in short-term cultures was significantly increased in the non-splenectomized patient group (p less than 0.01). Without added PHA-LCM and normal serum, spontaneous colony formation was found in 9 out of 10 patients. In long-term blood cultures from 6 MF patients, 3 untreated patients formed confluent adherent layers and produced in suspension an equal number or an even greater number of nucleated cells, megakaryocytes and CFU-MK than those obtained in long-term bone marrow culture from normal individuals. 2 splenectomized patients showed neither an increased numbers of CFU-MK nor the capacity to develop an adherent layer. The serum and plasma of MF patients failed to stimulate megakaryocyte colony formation by normal bone marrow in a normal fashion. These findings indicate a megakaryocytopoietic abnormality, and a central role of the spleen in extramedullary haematopoiesis in MF.
authors.affiliation: Department of Haematology, Augustin Morvan Hospital, Medical Center of Brest University, France.
authors.forename: Z C
authors.initials: ZC
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Briere
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nedellec
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Abgrall
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sensebe
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Parent
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Guern
mesh_terms: D001772:Blood Cell Count; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology; D002470:Cell Survival; D003114:Colony-Forming Units Assay; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008533:Megakaryocytes / Q000473:pathology*; D055728:Primary Myelofibrosis / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology*