Characteristics of bone marrow fibroblasts and their significance in hematopoiesis.
Effective hematopoiesis is thought to be maintained by interplaying between the hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) and their supporting stroma which supply an appropriate environment for HSC lodgement, proliferation and differentiation in the bone marrow. Many experiments have made it apparent that the bone marrow microenvironment is essential for normal hematopoiesis. Several recent reports have shown that most human bone marrow adherent cells under long-term liquid cultures are fibroblasts. In this article, the characteristics of the stromal fibroblasts and their role for HSC maintenance and differentiation are described.
Nagao
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Fourth Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Tokai University, Japan.
D000818:Animals; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002455:Cell Division; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology*; D006402:Hematologic Diseases / Q000473:pathology; D006410:Hematopoiesis; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology; D006801:Humans