We examined the supportive function of stromal cells from patients with refractory anemia (RA) of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) on CD34-positive hematopoietic cell proliferation and differentiation using a long-term bone marrow culture (LTMC) system. Primary marrow stromal cells were obtained from 11 MDS RA patients and 12 healthy volunteers, and freshly prepared CD34-positive bone marrow cells from a normal subject were inoculated onto the stroma. There seems to be three broad patterns of hematopoietic cell growth in the LTMCs. In one group, hematopoietic cells were maintained at near normal levels (type A). In the second group, the number of hematopoietic cells increased within the first 5-10 days of culture, but declined to low levels at 15-20 days of culture as compared with normal control (type B). In the third group, the incidence of hematopoietic cells steadily declined from the beginning of the culture (type C). Furthermore, apoptotic change of hematopoietic cells was very frequently observed in cultures with the type C stroma, which were especially defective for supporting CD34 + cell proliferation and differentiation. The expression of CD95 on hematopoietic cells was induced by the type C stroma, however, production of fas ligand by the stromal cells was not observed. These findings suggest a lack of hematopoietic supportive function in some cases of MDS RA and also indicate that there is heterogeneity of stromal function among MDS RA patients.