Ex Vivo Culture of CD34+/Lin−/DR− Cells in Stroma-Derived Soluble Factors, Interleukin-3, and Macrophage Inflammatory Protein-1α Maintains Not Only Myeloid But Also Lymphoid Progenitors in a Novel Switch Culture Assay

Human LTC-IC can be maintained for at least 5 weeks in vitro when interleukin-3 and a single chemokine are combined with O-sulfated heparan sulfates: requirement for optimal binding interactions of heparan sulfate with early-acting cytokines and matrix proteins

We have shown that stromal O-sulfated heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycans (O-S-GAGs) regulate primitive human hematopoietic progenitor cell (HPC) growth and differentiation by colocalizing heparin-binding cytokines and matrix proteins with HPC in stem cell “niches” in the marrow microenvironment. We now show that long-term culture-initiating cells (LTC-IC) are maintained for 5 weeks in the absence of stroma when O-S-GAGs are added to IL-3 and either MIP-1 or PF4 (LTC-IC maintenance without GAGs, 32 ± 2%; with GAGs, 95 ± 7%; P < .001). When cultured with 5 additional cytokines, O-S-GAGs, IL-3, and MIP-1, LTC-IC expanded 2- to 4-fold at 2 weeks, and 92 ± 8% LTC-IC were maintained at 5 weeks. Similar results were seen when PF4 replaced MIP-1. Although O-S-GAG omission did not affect 2-week expansion, only 20% LTC-IC were maintained for 5 weeks. When O-S-heparin was replaced by completely desulfated-, N-sulfated (O-desulfated), or unmodified heparins, LTC-IC maintenance at week 5 was not better than with cytokines alone. Unmodified- and O-S-heparin, but not desulfated- or N-sulfated heparin, bound to MIP-1, IL-3, PF4, VEGF, thrombospondin, and fibronectin. However, the affinity of heparin for thrombospondin and PF4, and the association and dissociation rates of heparin for PF4, were higher than those of O-S-heparin. We conclude that (i) although cytokines may suffice to induce early expansion, adult human LTC-IC maintenance for longer than 1 month requires O-S-GAGs, and (ii) HPC support may depend not only on the ability of GAGs to bind proteins, but also on optimal affinity and kinetics of interactions that affect presentation of proteins in a biologically active manner to progenitors. (Blood. 2000;95:147-155)

Single Adult Human CD34+/Lin−/CD38− Progenitors Give Rise to Natural Killer Cells, B-Lineage Cells, Dendritic Cells, and Myeloid Cells

Marrow stromal cultures support adult CD34+/Lin−/HLA-DR− or CD34+/Lin−/CD38− cell differentiation into natural killer (NK) or myeloid cells, but unlike committed lymphoid progenitors (CD34+/Lin−/CD45RA+/CD10+), no B cells are generated. We tested whether different microenvironments could establish a developmental link between the NK and B-cell lineages. Progenitors were cultured in limiting dilutions with interleukin-7 (IL-7), flt3 ligand (FL), c-kit ligand (KL), IL-3, IL-2, and AFT024, a murine fetal liver line, which supports culture of transplantable murine stem cells. NK cells, CD10+/CD19+ B-lineage cells and dendritic cells (DC) developed from the same starting population and IL-7, FL, and KL were required in this process. Single cell deposition of 3,872 CD34+/Lin−/CD38− cells onto AFT024 with IL-7, FL, KL, IL-2, and IL-3 showed that a one time addition of IL-3 at culture initiation was essential for multilineage differentiation from single cells. Single and double lineage progeny were frequently detected, but more importantly, 2% of single cells could give rise to at least three lineages (NK cells, B-lineage cells, and DC or myeloid cells) providing direct evidence that NK and B-lineage differentiation derive from a common lymphomyeloid hematopoietic progenitor under the same conditions. This study provides new insights into the role of the microenvironment niche, which governs the earliest events in lymphoid development.