Abstract
In most primates and a few mammals (cattle, sheep, goat), fetal erythropoiesis, characterized by predominant synthesis of fetal haemoglobin, is replaced around birth by adult erythropoiesis1–3. In mice, fetal erythrocytes all express an antigen (Ft) that disappears after birth4 and can be used as a marker for studying murine fetal and adult erythropoiesis. Murine haematopoietic tissues contain pluripotent stem cells (CFU-S) which give rise to splenic colonies when infused in irradiated adults5, committed erythroid precursors (BFU-E) that give rise to large bursts in vitro and more mature precursors (CFU-E) which produce small colonies in vitro6–8. We have now studied the expression of Ft antigen on these precursors, and their ability to produce colonies of Ft antigen-positive or -negative erythrocytes. Our results show that Ft antigen is not detected on the surface of erythroid precursors. Erythrocytes from splenic colonies are also Ft negative. However, erythrocytes from bursts and colonies derived from fetal liver BFU-E and CFU-E (and not from adult bone marrow) all express the Ft antigen, demonstrating that expression of the antigen is programmed very early in the erythropoietic sequence. Moreover, we have observed that after birth a decreasing number of CFU-E are able to give rise to Ft+ colonies.
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Mouchiroud, G., Blanchet, J. Fetal antigen expressed on mouse erythrocytes is programmed at the early precursor stage in fetal liver. Nature 293, 156–158 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1038/293156a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/293156a0
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