Macrophages specifically regulate the concentration of their own growth factor in the circulation.
The physiological mechanism of clearance of the mononuclear phagocyte growth factor, colony-stimulating factor 1 (CSF-1), from the circulation of normal mice was investigated by following the fate of a trace amount of i.v. injected 125I-labeled CSF-1. Macrophages selectively cleared CSF-1 by CSF-1 receptor-mediated endocytosis and degraded the growth factor intracellularly. This manner of clearance provides a feedback control mechanism whereby the rate of macrophage production is determined by the number of mature macrophages.
Bartocci
A
A
Mastrogiannis
D S
DS
Migliorati
G
G
Stockert
R J
RJ
Wolkoff
A W
AW
Stanley
E R
ER
D000818:Animals; D003115:Colony-Stimulating Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D004705:Endocytosis; D007700:Kinetics; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008264:Macrophages / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000378:metabolism; D016184:Receptors, Colony-Stimulating Factor
D003115:Colony-Stimulating Factors; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D016184:Receptors, Colony-Stimulating Factor