title: Inability to clonally expand fetal progenitors from maternal blood.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To confirm the recent report of the culture of single clones of fetal progenitor cells from maternal blood.
  
  
  METHODS
  Hemopoietic progenitor cells were cultured from 16 blood samples obtained from women pregnant with a male singleton fetus. Single colonies were isolated by micro-manipulation and examined by multiplex real-time PCR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of a total of 1,674 colonies examined, 1,648 were identified as being maternal. No colonies were detected of fetal origin.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The clonal expansion of single fetal colonies from the maternal circulation is not feasible by current methods.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zimmermann
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Holzgreve
authors.forename: Xiao Yan
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.forename: Sinhue
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hahn
mesh_terms: D002452:Cell Count; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D002469:Cell Separation; D002999:Clone Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D015672:Erythroid Precursor Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000166:cytology*; D005865:Gestational Age; D005987:Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenases / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D051876:Sex-Determining Region Y Protein; D014157:Transcription Factors; D014998:Y Chromosome
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D051876:Sex-Determining Region Y Protein; D014157:Transcription Factors; D005987:Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenases