ArticleRothmann J, Hertogs CF, Pluznik DH.
Exp Hematol. 1977 Mar;5(2):117-24.
The present study was undertaken to test whether lysates prepared from rat erythrocytes can replace serum as in vitro growth promoters for murine leukemic and normal hemopoietic progenitor cells (CFU-C). Normal bone marrow and three leukemic cell lines (P-1081, L-1210 and P-815) were used in all the experiments. The soft agar technique for cloning hemopoietic cells was used to quantitate cell proliferation. Addition of hemolysate to the agar medium at a final concentration of 4% promoted the growth of a maximal number of leukemic colonies, similar to the number of colonies obtained when 20% serum was added to the soft agar. As for normal CFU-C, addition of 10% hemolysate or 40% horse serum promoted the growth of comparable numbers of colonies. Rat hemolysate can therefore replace horse serum as a growth promoter of leukemic and normal CFU-C present in culture. It was also shown that rat hemolysate cannot substitute for the colony stimulating factor (CSF) needed for the cloning of CFU-C. However, addition of hemolysate, CSF and serum to the soft agar cultures promoted a potentiated rather than an additive growth of CFU-C.