Studies on hypoxia. VI. Changes in lymphocytes and transitional cells in the marrow during the intensification of primary hypoxia and rebound

Highly restricted expression of a stromal cell determinant in mouse bone marrow in vivo

B lymphocyte precursor cells in mouse bone marrow develop in close association with stromal cells which provide essential growth signals. To identify molecules that may normally play a role in this interaction we have examined the in vivo binding of a new monoclonal antibody (mAb) (KMI6) that recognizes a determinant on a bone marrow stromal cell line (BMS2) in vitro. Flow cytometric and radioautographic evaluations revealed that the antigen recognized by KMI6 is represented on the surface of an extremely small number of cells in bone marrow cell suspensions from adult mice. An apparent molecular mass of 110 kD was obtained by surface labeling of a stromal cell clone and immunoprecipitation. Purified mAb KMI6 labeled with 125I was then given intravenously to young C3H/HeJ mice. Unbound mAb was washed out by cardiac perfusion and femoral bone marrow was examined by light and electron microscope radioautography. KMI6 labeling was heavy on the plasma membrane of many stromal cells, especially those located towards the outer subosteal region. The KMI6-labeled stromal cells were usually associated with cells of lymphoid morphology which they often completely surrounded. The labeling was restricted to areas of stromal cell plasma membranes in contact with lymphoid cells. The lymphoid cells themselves, as well as macrophages and other hemopoietic cells, failed to bind mAb KMI6 significantly. Stromal cells in bone marrow depleted of hemopoietic cells by gamma-irradiation (9,5 Gy) bound mAb KMI6 at reduced intensity. The results demonstrate that the KMI6 determinant, a 110-kD protein, is expressed on bone marrow stromal cells in vivo. Its restriction to areas of interaction with lymphoid cells suggests a role in forming microenvironmental niches of B lymphopoiesis. The surface membrane of individual stromal cells may thus be functionally polarized towards interacting B cell precursors and other hemopoietic cells.

Influence of experimentally elevated blood viscosity on the auditory nerve-brainstem evoked response and threshold

Blood viscosity, due to its effect on blood flow, is one of the determinants of oxygen delivery. Therefore the influence of elevated blood viscosity on hearing was studied in rats using the auditory brainstem response (ABR) threshold, wave 1 latency, brainstem transmission time (BTT) and wave 1/4 amplitude ratio. Whole blood viscosity (WBV) was elevated by 15-21% in two different ways: elevating the hematocrit (Polycythemia) by acclimation in a hypobaric chamber, or elevating the plasma viscosity by infusing a solution of Polyvinylpyrrolidone-360 (PVP). ABR was recorded before and 24 h after the blood viscosity was elevated, so that each rat served as its own control. Paired t-tests showed that there was no statistically significant difference in the ABR parameters in each of the groups as a consequence of blood viscosity elevation. In conclusion, the elevation of WBV to this degree for this duration, using two different techniques had no effect either on the function of the auditory nerve and the more peripheral sites, or on the central auditory pathway as studied by ABR.

Hypoxia induced hearing loss in animal models of the fetus in-utero

The human fetus in-utero has low arterial oxygen tension. It has, therefore, been suggested that at greater than 28 weeks gestational age, the fetus may have a sensori-neural hearing loss comparable to that seen in adult cats exposed to similar degrees of hypoxia. This is due to hypoxia induced depression of the endocochlear potential. However, fetal blood is provided with compensatory mechanisms (elevated hematocrit and hemoglobin and special fetal hemoglobin) which enable pick up and transport of more oxygen from the placenta than adult blood under the same physiological conditions. Therefore, the hypothesis of a fetal sensori-neural hearing loss due to oxygen lack was tested in the following animal models: a) Adult cats to which feline red blood cells were infused thus causing a polycythemia similar to fetal conditions; b) Adult rats acclimated to altitude in a hypobaric chamber, inducing erythropoiesis with elevated hematocrit and hemoglobin; c) Neonatal guinea pigs and goats studied when they were less than 12 hours old so that the fetal compensatory mechanisms were still present. In each model, hypoxia (PaO2 20-30 mmHg) induced an ABR threshold elevation resembling that obtained in the uncompensated adult animal. Thus these experiments seem to have confirmed the hypothesis of a fetal, hypoxic induced sensori-neural hearing loss even though such experiments have not been conducted directly on fetal animals.

Hypoxia and deposition of iron in liver and spleen of mice given iron supplement

Iron-related changes in peripheral blood and variations in liver and spleen iron concentrations during alternating periods of hypoxia and normoxia have been investigated in iron-supplemented mice by chemical and histological methods. During hypoxia, packed cell volume increased from 40 to 70%. The iron content of the liver increased during the first hypoxic and the following normoxic period, while an increase in spleen iron started after the first hypoxic period. Transferrin saturation fell from about 60 to about 20% during hypoxia and normalized during normoxia. Hypoxia together with iron supplementation led to increased erythropoiesis and parenchymal iron deposition in liver. The reduction in transferrin saturation may be attributed to the effective uptake of iron by hepatocytes simultaneously with the erythropoiesis. The spleen seemed to participate in the production of red cells during hypoxia. The increase in spleen iron during normoxia can be explained by the role of the spleen in the catabolism of excess erythrocytes.

Perinatal hypoxia and auditory brainstem response thresholds: no evidence of permanent hearing loss

It has been suggested that pre-natal and or peri-natal hypoxia can cause permanent hearing loss as a result of interference with the generation of the endocochlear potential, especially if this interference occurs during the critical period of endocochlear potential development. This hypothesis was tested in 4 series of experiments: in neonatal rats exposed to pure nitrogen for several minutes; in neonatal and adult cats respirated with hypoxic gas mixture for an hour; in neonatal rats and cats breathing hypoxic gas mixture for several hours; and in neonatal rats in hypobaric chamber for several days. In each experiment, the auditory nerve-brainstem evoked response threshold was elevated during hypoxia in those animals in which it could be measured but was normal when determined several hours to days later. This is evidence for a remarkable ability of the auditory system to recover from periods of hypoxia even during the critical period of endocochlear potential development.

On the in vivo action of erythropoietin: a quantitative analysis

The composite response of the erythron to exogenous erythropoietin has been studied in normal, splenectomized, and polycythemic mice. After stimulation the normal animal doubled its marrow nucleated red cells by the 3rd day with little further change by the 5th. Nucleated red cells within the spleen began to increase sharply on the 2nd day and, by the 5th, exceeded those in the marrow. The total nucleated erythroid response represented a fourfold increase. Reticulocytes lagged behind the expansion of the nucleated red cell mass, but by the 5th day the original ratio was re-established. Hemoglobin synthesis was increased, but the ratio of hemoglobin synthesized in nucleated red cells and reticulocytes was basically unchanged. Early displacement of marrow reticulocytes into circulation and the production of a larger red cell also occurred. No evidence of a change in the number of erythroid mitoses was found; only a slight decrease in the average cell cycle time was demonstrated. Thus, whereas erythropoietin stimulation induced several changes in erythropoiesis, the increased number of cells entering into the maturing pool appeared to be of greatest quantitative significance.Splenectomy reduced the proliferative response of the erythron over 5 days stimulation to three-fourths that found in the normal animal. This difference, also reflected in a proportionately lower reticulocyte response and increment in circulating red cell mass, suggests that erythropoiesis within the mouse marrow is spatially or otherwise restricted and that the spleen provided a supplemental area of erythroid expansion.