Normal donors BM CD34+ cells were differentiated in thrombopoietin-treated liquid suspension cultures. Briefly, CD34+ cells (80,000 /mL) were resuspended in a serum-free medium in the presence of 100 ng/mL of human recombinant thrombopoietin (TPO; Genzyme, Boston, MA). Every 3 days, viable cells were scored by Trypan blue dye exclusion and cultures were amplified with fresh serum-free medium. Each well was then supplemented with 100 ng/mL TPO. After 14 to 16 days of liquid culture, CD34-derived megakaryocytes (MKs) were purified by means of an anti-CD41a monoclonal antibody (MoAb) (Dako, Milan, Italy) directed against the glycoproteic alpha2B-beta3 complex and immunobeads (MPC 450 Dynabeads; Dynal, Oslo, Norway). The purity of MKs was determined for each isolation by indirect immunofluorescence, using an anti-CD41b MoAb which reacts with a different epitope of alpha2B-beta3 subunit (Immunotech Inc., Westbrook, ME), followed by a goat anti-mouse IgG, covalently linked to fluorescein (Becton Dickinson, San Jose, CA).
