Diffusion chamber hematopoiesis in marrow and spleen cells from mice infected with Rauscher leukemia virus (RLV-A).

Preleukemic and terminal phase marrow cells from RLV-A-infected mice placed within diffusion chambers and implanted into normal mice, maintained elevated levels of both erythroid and myeloid precursor cells, whereas normal control marrow cells grown within diffusion chambers in normal hosts did not. Splenic tissue from preleukemic and terminal mice when placed as a cellular suspension into diffusion chambers and implanted into normal recipients also maintained high erythroblast numbers. However, while some transient growth of myeloid precursor elements occurred in preleukemic spleen cultures, terminal spleen cultures displayed essentially no granulocytic precursor cell growth. In control spleen cultures, erythropoiesis and granulocytic precursor cell numbers were reduced to nondetectable levels after 4 days of culture.