Overview: introduction to the haematopoietic system surrogate assays for haematopoietic stem cell activity receptors for haematopoietic regulators regulation of the cell cycle by kinases and cyclins gene organization and regulation cytokines and apoptosis - the mechanism of regulation of cell death haematopoietic microenvironments extracellular matrix- and membrane-bound cytokines transfection of stem cells and gene therapy. Colony-stimulating factor: granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and its receptor granulocyte colony-stimulating factor human interleukin-3 - an overview macrophage colony-stimulating factor erythropoietic the role of interleukin-4 in normal and malignant human haematopoietic effects of interleukin-1 kit-ligand-stem cell factor interleukin-5. Cytokines: macrophages inflammatory protein-1 alpha transforming growth factor-beta, tumour necrosis factor-alpha, and macrophage inflammatory protein-1 alpha are bidirectional regulators of haematopoietic cell growth leukaemia inhibitory factor interleukin-12 in haematopoiesis ex vivo expansion of haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells clinical use of cytokines.