Open AccessTHE INFLUENCE OF DIETARY PROTEIN DEFICIENCY ON HAEMOPOIETIC CELLS IN THE MOUSE
Author(s) -
Bell R. G.,
Hazell L. A.,
Sheridan J. W.
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
cell proliferation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.647
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1365-2184
pISSN - 0960-7722
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2184.1976.tb01278.x
Subject(s) - spleen , bone marrow , biology , in vitro , haematopoiesis , andrology , endocrinology , medicine , immunology , stem cell , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry
These experiments examined the effect of a diet limited only in protein (4% by weight) on haemopoietic stem cells in mice. This diet places severe restrictions on growth and cell proliferation and this was reflected in lower numbers of colony forming units (CFUs) and in vitro colony forming cells (CFCs). Differences were apparent in the response of different organs to this stress; for instance, the incidence of spleen CFUs fell sharply from around 40/mg spleen tissue to 1 ‐4/mg spleen tissue after 3 weeks on a low protein diet. This selective loss did not occur in bone marrow where total CFUs remained proportional to cellular content. Yet a third pattern was shown by thymus CFUs–although the numbers were low these increased from 16/thymus in normal mice to 132/thymus in deprived mice. This was the only organ examined which showed an increase. The effects of a return to a high protein (18 %) diet showed that the spleen was the most responsive organ. By day 5 after the return to 18% protein the spleen contained as many CFUs per million cells as the bone marrow. During this time the content of CFU in the spleen had increased some 50‐fold whereas bone marrow CFUs only doubled. The spleen assumes the major reconstitutive role during the refeeding process.