In Vitro Culture of Murine Megakaryocytes from Fetal Liver-Derived Hematopoietic Stem Cells

Megakaryocytes (MKs) are specialized precursor cells committed to producing and proliferating platelets. In a cytoskeletal-driven process, mature MKs generate platelets by releasing thin cytoplasmic extensions, named proplatelets, into the sinusoids. Due to knowledge gaps in this process and mounting clinical demand for non-donor-based platelet sources, investigators are successfully developing artificial culture systems to recreate the environment of platelet biogenesis. Nevertheless, drawbacks in current methods entail elaborate procedures for stem cell enrichment, extensive growth periods, low MK yield, and poor proplatelet production. We propose a simple, robust method of primary MK culture that utilizes fetal livers from pregnant mice. Our technique reduces expansion time to 4 days, and generates similar to 15,000-20,000 MKs per liver. Approximately, 20-50% of these MKs produce structurally dense, high-quality proplatelets. In this review, we outline our method of MK culture and isolation.