YOLK SAC STEM CELL DIFFERENTIATION IN VITRO AND VIVO

University Of Wisconsin Madison, Madison WI

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Abstract

DESCRIPTION (Adapted from the investigator's abstract): The hypothesis of this application is that in vitro expanded yolk sac hematopoietic stem cells can successfully engraft in histoincompatible hosts in which they then differentiate, thereby establishing immune functions. The specific aims are to: 1) establish conditions that promote self-renewal of yolk sac-derived mouse hematopoietic stem cells in vitro; 2) determine the ability of the expanded yolk sac-derived stem population (a) to seed murine target organs in histocompatible host animals; (b) to generate the various blood cell lineages; and (c) to yield cells capable of functioning in the immune system; and 3) determine whether the expanded yolk sac-derived stem cell population can also seed murine target organs and differentiate in histoincompatible host animals.