Abstract
Abstract
The capacity of marrow stroma to transfer a microenvironment conducive to hematopoiesis was studied in rabbits by means of subcutaneous implants of autologous marrow with variable hematopoietic cellularity and fat content as determined by histologic analysis. Cellularity of marrow in ossicles present at the implantation site 3 months later was found to be sigmoidally related to cellularity of the implant, with a linear component which became asymptotic in ossicles formed after implantation of the more cellular marrow containing less than 50% fat. Hypocellular marrow with fat content in excess of 50% was associated with onset of a sharp increase in saturated lipids as revealed by histochemistry. These results, which confirm and extend earlier qualitative observations of a difference in potential of red and yellow marrow upon ectopic implantation, are consistent with the putative regulatory role of stromal elements in hematopoiesis.
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