Early lymphocyte development in bone marrow and thymus

Haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), a very rare cell type in the bone marrow, are responsible for the life-long production of all cells of the blood including T and B cells. Until recently, it was thought that the differentiation of HSCs into the various haematopoietic cells was rather hierarchical in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSwiss medical weekly Vol. 136; no. 43-44; pp. 679 - 83
Main Authors Rolink, Antonius G, Massa, Steffen, Balciunaite, Gina, Ceredig, Rod
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Switzerland EMH Swiss Medical Publishers 28.10.2006
Subjects
Animals
Antigens, CD
Antigens, CD - physiology
B-Lymphocytes
B-Lymphocytes - physiology
Bone Marrow Cells
Bone Marrow Cells - cytology
Cell Differentiation
Cell Proliferation
Hematopoietic Stem Cells
Hematopoietic Stem Cells - cytology
Humans
Immunology
Life Sciences
T-Lymphocytes
T-Lymphocytes - cytology
Thymus Gland
Thymus Gland - cytology
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ISSN1424-7860
1424-3997
DOI10.2006/43/smw-11413

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Summary:Haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), a very rare cell type in the bone marrow, are responsible for the life-long production of all cells of the blood including T and B cells. Until recently, it was thought that the differentiation of HSCs into the various haematopoietic cells was rather hierarchical in that differentiation along a given lineage was associated with a progressive loss of potential to give rise to other blood cell lineages. The recent development of very sensitive and quantitative in vitro assays, together with the identification of new progenitor subpopulations, has challenged this idea. Thus, lymphocyte progenitors can be shown to keep their developmental potential to give rise to myeloid, dendritic and NK cells until just prior to their final commitment stage. Here we review these new findings and concepts.
ISSN:1424-7860
1424-3997
DOI:10.2006/43/smw-11413