title: Human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) stimulates immature marrow precursors but no CFU-GM, CFU-G, or CFU-M.
abstract: Human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) has been described as a multilineage growth factor that induces in vitro colony formation from erythroid burst-forming units (BFU-E), eosinophil colony-forming units (CFU-Eo), and multipotential CFU (CFU-GEMM) as well as from granulocyte-macrophage CFU (CFU-GM), granulocyte CFU (CFU-G), and macrophage CFU (CFU-M). In this paper we provide evidence indicating that GM-CSF, when tested for its stimulating capacities expressed upon highly enriched hematopoietic progenitor cells (CD34+/monocyte-depleted), is unable to induce colonies from CFU-GM, CFU-G, or CFU-M. Only BFU-E, CFU-Eo, and CFU-GEMM were stimulated, and thus GM-CSF induces a similarly restricted spectrum of progenitor cells as does recombinant human interleukin 3 (IL-3). We then compared the relative stimulating potencies of GM-CSF and IL-3 by measuring colony numbers of CFU-GEMM, BFU-E, and CFU-Eo generated from CD34+ progenitor cells. IL-3 and GM-CSF as single factors were equally active in stimulating CFU-GEMM, but the combination of both factors produced additive stimulative effects upon CFU-GEMM. IL-3 was a more potent stimulus of BFU-E, and GM-CSF was the more active stimulating factor for CFU-Eo. We conclude that GM-CSF and IL-3, although stimulating the outgrowth of identical types of progenitor cells, particularly differ as regards their comparative quantitative efficiency of stimulation.
authors.affiliation: Dr. Daniel den Hoed Cancer Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Bot
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: van Eijk
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schipper
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Löwenberg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000502:physiology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002469:Cell Separation / Q000379:methods; D003114:Colony-Forming Units Assay; D003115:Colony-Stimulating Factors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor; D006098:Granulocytes / Q000502:physiology; D006133:Growth Substances / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007377:Interleukin-3 / Q000494:pharmacology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D003115:Colony-Stimulating Factors; D006133:Growth Substances; D007377:Interleukin-3; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor