As an approach for characterizing the molecules involved in the proliferation and differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells we have compared the ability of four murine stromal cell lines, MS-5, MS-K, both derived from Dexter cultures, BMS1 and BMS2 both derived from Whitlock-Witte cultures, to sustain murine long term hematopoiesis and to express the major hematopoietic cytokine genes. As opposed to the th ree other cell lines, MS-5 supports the maintenance of stem eel Is for up to 4-5 weeks. However, reconstituting stem cell output was reduced while clonogenic cell (day 12 and day 8 spleen colony-forming units, granule-macrophagic, and erythroid progenitor cells) output was markedly increased. This hematopoietic-promoting activity is at least in part mediated by soluble molecules since medium conditioned with MS-5 cells was able to partially complement the nonsupportive cell line BMS1. The comparative study of the cytokine gene expression in MS-5 and in the nonsupportive cell lines included Northern blot and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis of messenger RNA for interleukin-l, -3, -6, granulo-macrophagic-colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), granulocyte-CSF, macrophage-CSF, stem cell factor, transforming growth factor-beta, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, macrophage inflammatory protein-1 alpha, and leukemia inhibitory factor. None of these molecules or their association were found to clearly confer to the MS-5 cell line its hematopoietic-promoting activity raising the possibility that uncharacterized molecule(s) would be involved in the proliferation and differentiation of stem cells. (C) 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.