Long-Term Ex Vivo Maintenance and Expansion of Transplantable Human Hematopoietic Stem Cells

Abstract

We have developed a stromal-based in vitro culture system that facilitates ex vivo expansion of transplantable CD34+thy-1+ cells using long-term hematopoietic reconstitution in severe combined immunodeficient-human (SCID-hu) mice as an in vivo assay for transplantable human hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). The addition of leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) to purified CD34+ thy-1+ cells on AC6.21 stroma, a murine bone marrow–derived stromal cell line, caused expansion of cells with CD34+ thy-1+ phenotype. Addition of other cytokines, including interleukin-3 (IL-3), IL-6, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, and stem cell factor, to LIF in the cultures caused a 150-fold expansion of cells retaining the CD34+ thy-1+ phenotype. The ex vivo–expanded CD34+ thy-1+ cells gave rise to multilineage differentiation, including myeloid, T, and B cells, when transplanted into SCID-hu mice. Both murine LIF (cannot bind to human LIF receptor) and human LIF caused expansion of human CD34+ thy-1+ cells in vitro, suggesting action through the murine stroma. Furthermore, another human HSC candidate, CD34+ CD38− cells, shows a similar pattern of proliferative response. This suggests thatex vivo expansion of transplantable human stem cells under this in vitro culture system is a general phenomenon and not just specific for CD34+ thy-1+ cells.