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Role of CD34 antigen in the purification of human hematopoietic stem cells Volume 5, issue 6, Novembre-Décembre 1999

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Laboratory of molecular and cellular biology of hematopoiesis, Coriell Institute for medical research, 401 Haddon Avenue, Camden, New Jersey, 08103, États-Unis.

Hematopoietic stem cells have been enriched using a variety of techniques, including density centrifugation, activation and/or cell cycle status, surface antigen expression ; however, no unique characteristics have been found to specifically identify these elusive cells. The CD34 antigen is expressed on a subpopulation of hematopoietic cells containing stem cells and early committed progenitors. Transplant studies in several species, including baboons and mice, have shown that long-term marrow repopulation can be provided by CD34+ selected cells. Thus, all relevant clinical and experimental protocols are designed for CD34+ cells enriched by a variety of selection methods. However several recent studies suggest that there may be human and murine stem cells that do not express CD34. This review will summarize our knowledge on this new CD34 negative population. We will discuss what are the implications of these findings both clinically and on our current understanding of the basic biology of the hematopoietic system.