title: Haematopoiesis in mice heterozygous for the W trait: defective formation of transient endogenous spleen colonies.
abstract: It has been determined that W/+ and Wv/+ heterozygous mice, as compared with normal +/+ homozygous littermates, form significantly lower numbers of transient 5-day endogenous spleen colonies in response to X-irradiation. This defect was evident for doses of irradiation between 2-6 Gy (200-600 rad) and was associated with a slightly increased radiosensitivity of the assayed precursor cells (TE-CFU) in W heterozygotic mice. Moreover, the defect was transplantable, i.e., intrinsic to the marrow cells and not to the microenvironment, and was not associated with a similar decrease in cells which form erythropoietic bursts in vitro (BFUe). This study provides a cellular basis for increased radiosensitivity of W/+ and Wv/+ mice and suggests that the 'W' mutation is semi-dominant, both with respect to the white spotting and TE-CFU formation.
mesh_terms: D000748:Anemia, Macrocytic / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000818:Animals; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells; D003114:Colony-Forming Units Assay; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006410:Hematopoiesis; D006579:Heterozygote; D051379:Mice; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains; D011828:Radiation Chimera; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology*