Cryopreserved fetal human liver hematopoietic progenitor cells for repopulating immune-deficient mouse bone marrow.
BACKGROUND
Experimental and clinical protocols are being developed for the cryopreservation of human hematopoietic progenitor cells. However, the effect of these procedures on the potential for HPC to repopulate bone marrow is unknown.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the effect of cryopreservation on the ability of fetal human liver HPC, which include CD34+ cells and long-term culture-initiating cells, to repopulate immunodeficient non-obese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficiency mouse bone marrow.


METHODS
Groups of sublethally irradiated NOD/SCID mice were injected intravenously with cryopreserved or freshly isolated fetal human liver HPC.


RESULTS
Seven weeks after transplantation, flow cytometric analysis of bone marrow samples showed that mice that received the transplanted cells (either cryopreserved or freshly isolated) demonstrated both lymphoid and myeloid differentiation as well as the retention of a significant fraction of CD34+ cells.


CONCLUSIONS
Cryopreserved fetal human liver-derived HPC appear to be capable of initiating human cell engraftment in NOD/SCID mouse bone marrow and open the possibility of using cryopreserved fetal human liver HPC for gene manipulation, gene transfusion therapy, and transplantation purposes.
Zhao
Jane
J
Department of Pediatrics, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Children's Research Center of Michigan, Detroit, MI, USA.
Hao
Hsiao-Nan
HN
Lyman
William D
WD
D000818:Animals; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000378:metabolism*; D015925:Cryopreservation; D005333:Fetus; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D008099:Liver; D051379:Mice; D016688:Mice, Inbred NOD; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous