title: Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor promotes differentiation and survival of human peripheral blood dendritic cells in vitro.
abstract: Interest in human dendritic cells (DC) has been heightened recently by the discovery that this cell type is a primary target of the human immunodeficiency virus, the causative agent of AIDS. DC are bone marrow-derived cells with an extraordinarily potent ability to promote the immunological activity of T lymphocytes. Unfortunately, since DC constitute less than 0.5% of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and die within a few days of their isolation, they are not readily accessible to study. We report here that granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), a cytokine with well-recognized effects on granulocyte and macrophage maturation, profoundly affects the morphology and viability of DC isolated from peripheral blood. GM-CSF not only promotes DC survival but also induces DC differentiation to mobile, reversibly adherent cells with long-branched projections. DC cultured in GM-CSF survive for up to 6 wk and retain their ability to stimulate the proliferation of T cells in allogeneic and autologous mixed leukocyte reactions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, California 94305.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Markowicz
authors.forename: E G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Engleman
mesh_terms: D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003115:Colony-Stimulating Factors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000187:drug effects*; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor; D006133:Growth Substances / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D003115:Colony-Stimulating Factors; D006133:Growth Substances; D007376:Interleukin-2; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor