[Hematopoietic stem cells I. Basal aspects].
The knowledge on basic aspects of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) has markedly increased during the last decade to the extent that such cells are now routinely employed therapeutically in order to restore hematopoiesis following myeloablative chemotherapy and irradiation in patients with malignant disorders. Different methods can be applied to characterize HSC. Thus, by immunophenotyping and flow cytometry it is possible to delineate subpopulations of cells enriched for HSC. However, since phenotypic characteristics associated with HSC do not necessarily correlate to their developmental potential, measurements of HSC also rely heavily upon functional in vitro and in vivo assays, which demonstrate the presence of HSC through their ability to proliferate and differentiate in a clonogenic fashion. In this review we describe the assays developed to characterize and quantitate immature HSC, which form the basis for their clinical application.
Olesen
G
G
Arhus Amtssygehus, Arhus Universitetshospital, haematologisk afdeling B.
Holm
M S
MS
Hokland
P
P
D000818:Animals; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D019650:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Mobilization; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D010641:Phenotype