Characterization of hematopoietic progenitors from human yolk sacs and embryos.

Hematopoiesis first arises in the extraembryonic yolk sac, and it is generally believed that yolk sac-derived stem cells migrate and seed the fetal liver at approximately week 6 of development in humans. Recently, the identification at day 8.5 to 9 of multipotential stem cells in intraembryonic sites different from the liver suggests that the establishment of hematopoiesis might be more complex than initially believed. In an attempt to understand initial steps of hematopoiesis during human ontogeny, we characterized clonogenic myeloid progenitor cells in human yolk sacs and corresponding embryos at 25 to 50 days of development. Most erythroid colonies derived from the yolk sacs differed from adult marrow-derived progenitors in that they also contained cells of the granulomacrophagic lineage, suggesting that they were pluripotent and exhibited a different response to cytokines. Furthermore, a subclass of nonerythroid progenitors generated very large granulomacrophagic colonies, some of which generated secondary erythroid colonies on replating. Analysis of the distribution of progenitors revealed that in contrast to erythroid progenitors, whose numbers were equally distributed between the yolk sac and the embryo, 80% of the nonerythroid progenitors were found in the embryo at stages II and III. Interestingly, a high proportion of nonerythroid progenitors (including high proliferative potential cells) was present in colony assays initiated with cells remaining after the liver has been removed. These findings were validated in colony assays established with CD34+ cells purified from extraembryonic yolk sacs and intraembryonic tissues. Increased knowledge about the biology of hematopoietic stem cells early in life may help to further understanding of the mechanisms associated with the restriction in proliferative and differentiative potential observed in the adult hematopoietic stem cell compartment.

[Characterization of hematopoietic progenitor cells during the human embryonic development]. / Caractérisation des progéniteurs hématopoïétiques au cours du développement embryonnaire humain.

In a search for assays that might facilitate identification of pluripotent stem cells with extended potentialities, we analysed the properties of hematopoietic progenitor cells detected in the extraembryonic yolk sac and in the intraembryonic part of human embryos between approximately 28 and 45 days of development. Cells from the yolk sac, the liver rudiment and the remainder of the embryo were plated in semi solid methylcellulose colony-assays supplemented with combinations of cytokines. Large BFU-E-derived colonies as well as granulocytic colonies were detected in every yolk sac sample. Interestingly, progenitor cells were also detected in the intraembryonic part, outside the liver and a subclass of these progenitors were detected that generated large granulomacrophagic colonies capable of generating secondary colonies when replated. These were preferentially located in the embryo. Colony-assays initiated with CD34+ cells sorted from the different tissues confirmed these data. These results first indicate that embryonic progenitors exhibit unique phenotypic features, and second, analysis of the distribution of progenitors between the different tissues may suggest the existence of other sites of hematopoietic production. More detailed analysis of the potentialities of these progenitors should now be assessed in vitro in cocultures assays and in vivo by reconstituting immunodeficient mice.