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Bone marrow chimeras—a vital tool in basic and translational research

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Abstract

Bone marrow chimeras are used routinely in immunology research as well as in other fields of biology. Here, we provide a concise state-of-the-art review about the types of chimerisms that can be achieved and the type of information that each model generates. We include separate sections for caveats and future developments. We provide examples from the literature in which different types of chimerism were employed to answer specific questions. While simple bone marrow chimeras allow to dissect the role of genes in distinct cell populations such as the hematopoietic cells versus non-hematopoietic cells, mixed bone marrow chimeras can provide detailed information about hematopoietic cell types and the intrinsic and extrinsic roles of individual genes. The advantages and caveats of bone marrow chimerism for the study of microglia are addressed, as well as alternatives to irradiation that minimize blood-brain-barrier disruption. Elementary principles are introduced and their potential is exemplified through summarizing recent studies.

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Abbreviations

BM:

Bone marrow

BMC:

Bone marrow chimera(s)

CNS:

Central nervous system

DC:

Dendritic cells

EAE:

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

GFP:

Green fluorescent protein

HLA:

Human leukocyte antigen

HSC:

Hematopoietic stem cell(s)

ILC:

Innate lymphoid cells

KO:

Knockout

MHC:

Major-histocompatibility complex

TBI:

Total body irradiation

WT:

Wildtype

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Acknowledgments

Carla Rohrer-Bley supported us with her expertise in radiation biology. Work in the lab of Jon Laman is supported by the Dutch MS Research Society and the Zabawas foundation. Work in the lab of Thorsten Buch was supported by the Swiss MS Society and the Hertie Foundation. Work in the lab of Johannes vom Berg was supported by Swiss Cancer Research and the Novartis foundation for medical-biological research. Dr. Prajwal is supported by the UZH Entrepreneur-Fellowship in BioTech and MedTech.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Laboratory Animal Science, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Filipa M. Ferreira, Johannes vom Berg, Prajwal Prajwal & Thorsten Buch

  2. Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason, Seattle, WA, USA

    Pushpalatha Palle

  3. Department of Biomedical Sciences of Cells and Systems, University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Jon D. Laman

  4. Institute of Laboratory Animal Science, University of Zurich, Wagistrasse 12, 8952, Schlieren, Switzerland

    Thorsten Buch

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  1. Filipa M. Ferreira
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  2. Pushpalatha Palle
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Correspondence to Thorsten Buch.

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Ferreira, F.M., Palle, P., vom Berg, J. et al. Bone marrow chimeras—a vital tool in basic and translational research. J Mol Med 97, 889–896 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00109-019-01783-z

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