Collection of in vitro colony-forming units from dogs by repeated continuous flow leukaphereses.

The presence of in vitro colony-forming units (CFUc) was demonstrated in leukocyte suspensions collected by continuous flow leukaphereses performed serially in dogs. The CFUc yield of one leukapheresis was usually between 10(4) and 10(6). Higher yields were obtained in the 2nd to 5th leukaphereses than in the first one in the same dog. The number of CFUc collected during one leukapheresis was about four times the number of CFUc present in the circulating blood at the beginning of the leukapheresis. After a diminution during leukapheresis the circulating CFUc pool was restored in 2 or 3 days with an increase in the ratio of CFUc to mononuclear cells. These results indicate that CFUc entered the circulating pool during and after leukapheresis and that the population size regulation of canine-circulating CFUc is different from that of the bulk of the mononuclear leukoytes.