Abnormal erythroid progenitor cells in human preleukemia.

Ten patients with preleukemia were studied by the erythroid cell clonal culture technique. In nine of these patients, erythroid colonies derived from peripheral blood BFU-E were not observed, while the other patient had markedly decreased peripheral blood BFU-E-derived erythroid colonies in vitro. In three patients, marrow cells were also cultured and no BFU-E-derived erythroid colonies were detected. These studies indicate that immature erythroid progenitor cells, BFU-E, in patients with preleukemia are either markedly decreased in number or grossly defective in their proliferative or differentiative capacities.