Effect of human cytomegalovirus on proliferation of hematopoietic progenitor cells of cord blood.

OBJECTIVE

This study was designed to investigate the effect of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) on the proliferation of colony forming unit granulocyte-macrophage (CFU-GM), CFU-erythroid (CFU-E), burst forming unit-erythroid (BFU-E), CFU-multipotential (CFU-Mix) and CFU-megakaryocytic (CFU-Mk) progenitor cells of cord blood in vitro as well as the possible mechanism.

METHODS

Twenty cord blood specimens were collected from the umbilical vein of normal full-term neonates delivered spontaneously. This study consisted of five groups: 3 Infection groups in which 0.1 mL 10(3), 10(4) and 10(5) plague forming unit (PFU) HCMV-AD169 virus solution was added to the culture system, an Inactivated control group in which the equal volume of inactivated virus solution was added, and a Blank control group (normal progenitor cells culture system without HCMV virus infection). Colony forming unit-assay was applied to detect the effects of HCMV-AD169 strain on the colony formation, inhibition rate and colony-maintaining duration of CFU- GM, CFU-E, BFU-E, CFU-Mix and CFU-Mk of cord blood. PCR technique was used to demonstrate the existence of HCMV-DNA in the colony cells of cultured CFU-GM, CFU-E, CFU-Mix and CFU-Mk.

RESULTS

HCMV-AD169 (10(3)PFU) in low concentration had inhibition effects on colony formation of the CFU-Mix and CFU-Mk (P < 0.05), whereas 10(5) PFU and 10(4) PFU HCMV-AD169 lead to decreased colonies in CFU-GM, CFU-E, BFU-E, CFU-Mix and CFU-Mk compared with the Blank control and the Inactivated control groups (P < 0.05). The suppression effect of HCMV on the colony formation was dose-dependent. The colony-maintaining duration of the CFU-GM, CFU-E, BFU-E, CFU-Mix and CFU-Mk in the 10(5) PFU and 10(4) PFU HCMV infection groups was significantly shorter than that in the two control groups (P < 0.01). The low concentration of HCMV-AD169 (10(3)PFU) infection resulted in a shortened colony-maintaining duration of the CFU-Mix and CFU-Mk (P < 0.01), but had no effects on the colony-maintaining duration of CFU-GM, CFU-E and BFU-E. PCR amplification demonstrated the existence of HCMV-AD169 DNA in the colony cells of the three Infection groups.

CONCLUSIONS

HCMV-AD169 strain can infect hematopoietic progenitors of cord blood and inhibit the proliferation of hematopoietic progenitors, associated with anemia, neutropenia and thrombocytopenia in HCMV patients.