Production of granulocytic progeny by transplanted bone marrow in irradiated mice.

The production of granulocytic progeny by transplanted mouse bone marrow is described. Normal marrow is injected into lethally irradiated recipients. Seven to 9 days is allowed for stem cells in the marrow to proliferate and differentiate. The granulocytic response to a bacterial endotoxin is then measured. This response bears a linear relationship with the number of bone marrow cells injected and can be used as an assay of granulocytic progenitor cells in bone marrow.