Separation of megakaryocytes from mouse bone marrow by density gradient centrifugation

The density profile of mouse bone marrow megakaryocytes, as determined by discontinuous albumin density gradient centrifugation, was characterized by a single density population (1.088 to 1.119 g/ml) with a peak density of 1.10 g/ml and a maximum enrichment of 15.5. This single population comprised both mature and immature megakaryocytes. The density profile of small, acetylcholinesterase-positive cells, a class of potential megakaryocyte precursors, was almost identical to that of morphologically recognizable megakaryocytes.