Summary. AC1331 cells may represent an alternative source of transplantable haemopoietic progenitor cells to CD34 1 cells. Here, we have addressed the characterization of umbilical cord blood (UCB) AC1331 cells and compared their immunophenotypic and functional features with those of UCB CD34 1 cells. UCB AC133 1 and CD34 1 cell fractions were purified by magnetic cell sorting, analysed by flow cytometry, tested for their content in blast cell colonyforming units (CFU-Bl), erythroid and granulocyte±macro-phage colony-forming units before and after expansion in the presence of various haemopoietic growth factor combinations. Median AC133 1 cell yield was 62´3%, and median AC133 1 population purity was 97´9%. AC133 1 cells were found to contain significantly more CFU-Bl than CD34 1 cells; furthermore, the replating efficiency, i.e. the number of CFU-Bl capable of generating secondary colonies, was higher in the former than in the latter cells. Both AC133 1 and CD34 1 cells displayed an increased ability to give rise to committed progenitors after 7-day expansion in liquid cultures. These data suggest that the AC133 1 cell subset is a heterogeneous pool of immature and more differentiated cells that can be maintained and expanded in well-defined culture conditions. In comparison with CD34 1 cells, UCB AC1331 cells appear to contain a higher number of early haemopoietic progenitors.
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