Host origin of in vitro bone marrow fibroblasts after marrow transplantation in man.

Two female patients who received bone marrow transplants from male donors showed the donor karyotype in all blood cells cultured with phytohemagglutinin and in all cells of bone marrow aspirate after direct or 24-hour culture preparation for cytogenetic study. The donor origin of myeloid cells was demonstrated specifically by identifying the male karyotype in the dividing cells of granulocyte/macrophage colonies in soft agar. Only the host female karyotype was found in fibroblast cell populations from cultured bone marrow aspirate. Bone marrow aspirate from transplant patients contained cells of host origin and cells of donor origin; both will proliferate in culture.