title: Interleukin-3 and ex vivo maintenance of hematopoietic stem cells: facts and controversies.
abstract: Although the utilization of IL-3 in the ex vivo expansion of hematopoietic stem cells has been considered as an attractive possibility, its mode of action remains unclear and controversial. Some reports show that IL-3 maintains or even enhances primitive stem cell activity, whereas others show the opposite. The presence of serum in culture media enhances the pro-differentiating effect of IL-3 on stem cells. Conversely, addition of IL-3 to serum-free cultures improves the capacity of TPO, SCF and Flt3-ligand to promote the self-renewal of primitive stem cells. The presence or absence of serum or of some serum substitutes (in serum-free cultures), as well as other culture parameters are probably responsible for these contrasting effects of IL-3 on stem cells. However, none of the data presently evaluated bring a clear, definitive explanation to this apparent paradox. Those data that appear to be the most informative are presented and discussed in this "technical review".
authors.affiliation: Etablissement Français du Sang Aquitaine-Limousin, Place Amélie Raba Leon BP24, 33035 Bordeaux Cedex, France. zoran.ivanovic@efs.sante.fr
authors.forename: Zoran
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ivanovic
mesh_terms: D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000096:biosynthesis; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000096:biosynthesis; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D016895:Culture Media, Serum-Free; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007377:Interleukin-3 / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology*; D007453:Iodide Peroxidase / Q000096:biosynthesis; D033862:Iron-Binding Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D018121:Receptors, Cytokine / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D019089:Stem Cell Factor / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D001324:Autoantigens; D016895:Culture Media, Serum-Free; D007377:Interleukin-3; D033862:Iron-Binding Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D018121:Receptors, Cytokine; D019089:Stem Cell Factor; C084881:flt3 ligand protein; C056658:TPO protein, human; D007453:Iodide Peroxidase