Effect of suppression and stimulation of erythropoiesis on CFU-E in mouse spleen.

Splenic CFU-E in mice were determined during stimulation and suppression of erythropoiesis by means of the methylcellulose culture system originally used for bone marrow CFU-E. It was found that under steady-state conditions the number of CFU-E in the spleen comprises less than 20% of the CFU-E in the total bone marrow mass. The number of CFU-E decreased with suppression and increased after stimulation of erythropoiesis. The response to exogenous Ep stimulation on day 10 posthypoxia was more pronounced in the spleen than in the bone marrow (the number of CFU-E was 1.6 times greater in the spleen than in the total bone marrow mass) indicating the importance of the spleen in stimulated erythropoiesis in mice.