Human placental low molecular weight factors inhibit the entry into cell cycle of murine pluripotent stem cells.

In 1977, Frindel et al. reported the presence in fetal calf bone marrow of a low molecular factor, the tetrapeptide Ac-N-Ser-Asp-Lys-Pro (AcSDKP), capable of inhibiting in vivo the hematopoietic pluripotent stem cell (CFU-S) recruitment into DNA synthesis and to increase the survival of mice which had received lethal doses of cytosine arabinoside (AraC), a phase-specific drug. Considering the potential clinical importance of CFU-S proliferation inhibitor during anticancer chemotherapy and the importance of monitoring the inhibitor by immunological methods, we tried to determine if a similar inhibitor is present in humans. Preliminary results indicate the presence in human placenta of an inhibitor coeluted with AcSDKP and which is effective in inhibiting murine CFU-S.