Flt3/Flk-2 and c-Kit are not essential for the proliferation of B lymphoid progenitor cells in the bone marrow of the adult mouse.

The receptor tyrosine kinase Flk-2/Flt3 was originally cloned from hematopoietic stem cell-enriched fetal liver and placenta and is believed by some investigators to play a role in the regulation of the hematopoietic stem cell. However, targeted disruption of the flt3 gene results in a specific deficiency in early B cell progenitors. Using an antagonistic monoclonal antibody developed against the extracellular domain of Flt3, we investigated the expression and function of the molecule on B lymphoid lineage cells in the bone marrow (BM) of adult mice. Approximately 10% of B220+ cells in the BM expressed Flt3 on the cell surface, and most of the cells belonged to a pro-B cell fraction when judged by an expression pattern of CD43, heat-stable antigen, and BP-1. However, B lymphoid precursor cells that are clonable in vitro could not be enriched in the B220+/Flt3+ cell fraction sorted by flow cytometry. Furthermore, proliferation of B lymphoid precursor cells in the adult BM was not blocked by administration of the antagonistic monoclonal antibodies against Flt3 and c-Kit, suggesting that signalings mediated by Flt3 and c-Kit receptors are not essential for the proliferation of B cell progenitors in adult mouse BM.