Demonstration of two erythrocyte populations in young chickens by counter-current distribution of 59Fe-labelled cells in dextran-poly(ethylene glycol) two-phase systems.

The technique of fractionating cells by a counter-current distribution procedure in dextran-poly(ethylene glycol) biphasic systems was modified by increasing the settling time and decreasing the top/bottom two-phase volume ratio. Two sub-populations of 59Fe-labelled erythrocytes, namely definitive medullar cells and primitive embryonic cells, were present in the blood of young chicks until about day 8 of age. The primitive cells were progressively replaced by definitive red cells as age increased.