Chimeric analysis of hemopoietic cells after cross-sex parabiosis

Anemia or polycythemia was induced in male rats. These males were conjugated with healthy, untreated female litter mates by FANG'S method of aortic parabiosis that resulted in complete cross circulation of blood between the two animals. The sex chromosomes of cells in erythropoiesis in various hemopoietic organs were examined in the treated male animals. The anemic parabionts indicated sharp increases in chimerical rates with erythroid marrows being evident. Polycythemic parabionts indicated marked decreases in chimerical rates with evidence of myeloid marrows. These findings suggested that the so-called stem cells in peripheral blood of the female parabiont migrated to the bone marrow of the male partner and that these migrating cells differentiated to erythroblast. The possible relationships between erythropoiesis and other cell proliferations in the hemopoietic organs are discussed.