title: Modulation of c-fms proto-oncogene expression in human blood monocytes and macrophages.
abstract: The gene product of the c-fms proto-oncogene is a transmembrane protein with tyrosine-kinase activity that is obviously related to the receptor for the colony-stimulating-factor CSF-1. By Northern blot analysis, we investigated the expression of the cellular counterpart of v-fms in purified normal human blood mononuclear cells and different macrophage populations. The proto-oncogene c-fms expression was demonstrable in blood monocytes but not in blood lymphocytes. Short-term cultivated blood monocytes exhibited an increased expression of c-fms in comparison to freshly isolated blood monocytes, possibly due to a temporary down regulation of c-fms during the separation procedure of blood monocytes. A comparably high rate of fms-RNA expression was found in most of the analyzed samples of resident peritoneal macrophages, while resident alveolar macrophages showed a considerably lower level of c-fms expression. In this, alveolar macrophages resembled long-term cultivated adherent blood monocytes, which showed a down regulation of c-fms expression. By correlating these data obtained by Northern blot analysis with phenotypic properties of the analyzed monocyte/macrophage populations, it is concluded that different levels of c-fms expression in monocytes/macrophages correspond to their stage of differentiation and maturity.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, University of Kiel, Federal Republic of Germany.
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Radzun
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kreipe
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Heidorn
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Parwaresch
mesh_terms: D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000378:metabolism*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000378:metabolism*; D010641:Phenotype; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D011519:Proto-Oncogenes; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000502:physiology; D016184:Receptors, Colony-Stimulating Factor
chemical_list: C000715470:MAS1 protein, human; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D016184:Receptors, Colony-Stimulating Factor