Replication and endoreplication in developing megakaryocytes in vitro.

To study the relation in time between replication and endoreplication and the relation between appearance of platelet-specific proteins and endoreplication in maturing megakaryocytes, peripheral blood mononuclear cells highly enriched in hematopoietic progenitors were cultured in liquid cultures and plasma clots in the presence of either interleukin-3 (IL-3) and stem cell factor (SCF) or medium conditioned by blood mononuclear cells stimulated by phytohemagglutinin (PHA). In plasma clots, megakaryocytic (MK) colonies appeared first on day 5 and reached a maximum by day 8, whereas the number of cells per colony increased until day 10, indicating that there was a single wave of MK colony formation. In liquid cultures, the first immunologically recognizable megakaryocytes appeared on day 5 and expressed GPIIb/IIIa and thrombospondin only, but all other platelet-specific protein markers appeared within 24 hours.