The influence of macrophage inflammatory protein-1 alpha (MIP-1 alpha) on cloning efficiency of human erythroid progenitors was evaluated. In our hands, in performed experiments in serum supplemented as in serum free cloning culture systems we did not observe any effect of MIP-1 alpha on erythroid colony formation by human CD34+ bone marrow cells. Therefore, our data did not confirm the possibility of the direct role of MIP-1 alpha in the pathogenesis of the anaemia of chronic disease.