title: New tools for investigating macrophage differentiation.
abstract: Mouse macrophage clones were generated from liver, bone marrow, spleen, thymus and brain by in vitro immortalization of primary cultures with VN11 recombinant retroviruses, transducing an avian v-myc oncogene. Tissue macrophages from eight different strains of mice were immortalized. All macrophage clones obtained thus far constitutively expressed F4/80, Mac-1, Mac-2 and Fc receptors. Class II MHC molecules were induced with IFN gamma. Constitutive and inducible functional activities of macrophages were retained in most of the clones; phagocytosis, chemotaxis, adhesion properties, cytokine production, MHC expression, cytotoxicity and toxic reactive nitrogen intermediate synthesis were all preserved. A model for studying macrophage differentiation in vitro using cloned cells is presented.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, University of Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ricciardi-Castagnoli
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Paglia
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002999:Clone Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D016259:Genes, myc / Q000276:immunology; D008262:Macrophage Activation; D008264:Macrophages / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D008954:Models, Biological; D010641:Phenotype; D012190:Retroviridae / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology