title: M-CSF and M-CSF-receptor gene expression in acute myelomonocytic leukemias.
abstract: The role of hematopoietic growth factors in the pathogenesis of human leukemias is still obscure. In this study, RNA from 24 human acute myelomonocytic leukemias (AML) was used to analyze the expression of the macrophage colony stimulating factor (M-CSF) and its corresponding receptor (c-fms). Fifty percent of AML cells exhibited c-fms transcripts of regular length but at a lower level than in normal monocytes/macrophages. In most cases the reduced c-fms expression of AML cells was not associated with autostimulatory M-CSF expression. Only a few cases of AML showed co-expression of M-CSF and c-fms, which by contrast was regularly observed in cultivated blood monocytes and some tissue macrophage subsets. Higher levels of c-fms expression could be found in AMLs with a more mature monocytic immunophenotype. Permanent myelomonocytic cell lines expressed c-fms only after induction of monocytic differentiation. Neither the M-CSF gene nor the c-fms gene were rearranged in AML cells. In AML cells the homozygote genotype of the c-fms gene predominated. Our results do not provide evidence for the involvement of M-CSF and c-fms genes in human myeloid leukemogenesis. c-fms expression appears to indicate monocytic differentiation within the myelomonocytic lineage. We found autostimulatory M-CSF expression to be a physiologic feature of some tissue macrophages and hence not necessarily associated with neoplastic proliferation.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, Kiel, Federal Republic of Germany.
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Parwaresch
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kreipe
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Felgner
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Heidorn
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jaquet
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bödewadt-Radzun
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Radzun
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002460:Cell Line; D003115:Colony-Stimulating Factors / Q000235:genetics*; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D015479:Leukemia, Myelomonocytic, Acute / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D016173:Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor; D008264:Macrophages / Q000032:analysis; D008875:Middle Aged; D009000:Monocytes / Q000032:analysis / Q000473:pathology; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D011519:Proto-Oncogenes; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D016186:Receptor, Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D003115:Colony-Stimulating Factors; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D016173:Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor; D016186:Receptor, Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor