THE DEVELOPMENT OF HEMATOPOIETIC-CELLS IS BIASED IN EMBRYONIC STEM-CELL CHIMERAS

The haematopoietic development of embryonic stem (ES) cell injection chimaeras was analysed using beta-galactosidase expression from an X-linked transgene as a marker to distinguish the ES-derived cell population from the host cells. The number of cells in the different haematopoietic cell subpopulations was determined by flow cytometry. When the proportions of ES-derived cells in the antigen-positive lineages were compared to the ES cell contribution to all cells in the organs, we found an unexpected bias in the haematopoietic differentiation of ES-derived cells. ES descendants were overrepresented in the bone marrow B lymphoid cell population and the splenic myeloid cells but were underrepresented in the CD4-positive T lymphoid cells in the spleen, These results were obtained by comparison with control female animals that were X chromosome mosaic for beta-galactosidase expression. These findings of uneven contribution to haematopoietic development by ES cells indicate that the commitment of ES cell descendants may be different from that of the host cells. (C) 1995 Acaaemic Press, Inc.