Comparison of the effects of 4-methylhistamine on the cell-cycle response between CFU-s and its subpopulation.

When bone marrow cells were treated with an H2-receptor agonist (4-methylhistamine 10(-8) M) before treatment with hydroxyurea (10(-3) M), the suicide rate of spleen colony-forming units (CFU-s) as a whole rose significantly. The rabbit antimouse brain serum (RAMBS)-resistant CFU-s subpopulation was also significantly elevated. Prior treatment of bone marrow cells with cimetidine would prevent this effect of 4-methylhistamine (4-MH). These findings not only confirm that 4-MH can trigger mouse bone marrow CFU-s to enter a DNA synthetic phase of the cell cycle, but also suggest that the RAMBS-resistant CFU-s subpopulation is more sensitive to the effect of 4-MH. Furthermore, this suggests that concentrations of the histamine receptor change during the developmental process of CFU-s.