Interaction between Normal and Leukaemic Human Cells in Agar Culture

Abstract

The influence of leukaemie cells from 12 patients with acute leukaemia on normal granulopoiesis in agar culture was investigated using leukeamic cell feeder layers. Leukaemie feeder cells from 7 of the 12 patients elicited no colony growth, while cells from the remaining 5 stimulated normal colony growth. In 3 of the 7 non‐stimulatory patients release of inhibitory factors from the leukaemie cells seemed responsible for the effect on normal granulopoiesis, while inappropriate colony stimulating factor (CSF) production by the feeder cells could not be ruled out in the remaining 4 patients. When the leukaemic cells were cultured with, as well as without, conditioned medium, cells from 5 of the patients formed clusters. Growth in these cultures did not correlate to the effect found in the feeder layer experiments.

In vitro Culture of Leukaemic Cells from 81 Patients with Acute Leukaemia

“…Cluster growth was seen in unstimulated cultures from 25 patients with AML. This indicates that in a sufficient concentration, CSF can be released from cells in this disease, and this has also been shown in previous studies (Moore et a1 1973b, Golde et a1 1974, Granstrom & Gahrton 1974, Robinson & Entringer 1974, Curtis et a1 1975, Goldman et a1 1976, Knudtzon & Mortensen 1976. The blast concentration was found to be higher in the cell cultures showing no spontaneous growth.…”