title: Mast cell growth factor (c-kit ligand) restores growth of multipotent progenitors in myelodysplastic syndrome.
abstract: In vitro growth of primitive hematopoietic progenitors is severely impaired in the myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). To determine if the c-kit ligand mast cell growth factor (MGF) can improve progenitor growth in MDS, we evaluated in vitro responsiveness of bone marrow progenitors from 25 patients to MGF and/or GM-CSF, interleukin-3 (IL-3) and PIXY 321, and examined the relationship between progenitor response and cellular expression of the c-kit receptor. MGF and erythropoietin gave rise to macroscopic colonies and dose-dependently increased CFU-GEMM and BFU-E up to 27-fold in 15 (60%) and 20 (80%) patients, respectively. Among 17 patients with absent growth in lymphocyte-conditioned media, MGF stimulated CFU-GEMM recovery in 59%, compared to 23% with PIXY 321, 12% with IL-3 and 8% with GM-CSF. Cytokine combinations did not augment recovery of erythropoietin-dependent progenitors above that achieved with MGF alone. MGF and/or IL-3 were comparatively weak stimulants of CFU-GM formation, whereas GM-CSF and PIXY in combination with MGF increased colony number 2- to 15-fold in 60 and 70% of patients, respectively, while preserving maturation competence as evidenced by colony composition and increased colony/cluster ratio. The stimulatory effects of MGF were observed in all morphologic categories of MDS except chronic myelomonocytic leukemia. A mononuclear cell population expressing the c-kit receptor was identified by flow cytometry in 57% of cases. Neither SR-1 reactivity nor cytogenetic pattern predicted progenitor response to MGF. These data indicate that MGF improves the colony-forming capacity of hematopoietic progenitors in MDS and is a potent co-stimulant of multipotent and committed progenitor recovery. The heterogeneity in MGF responsiveness implies an intrinsic defect in growth regulation not explained by cellular loss of c-kit display.
authors.affiliation: Sections of Hematology/Oncology and Biometry, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Glinsmann-Gibson
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Spier
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baier
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Taetle
authors.forename: V C
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: Broudy
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: List
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003114:Colony-Forming Units Assay; D015672:Erythroid Precursor Cells / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000494:pharmacology; D006098:Granulocytes / Q000473:pathology; D016298:Hematopoietic Cell Growth Factors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007377:Interleukin-3 / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D008533:Megakaryocytes / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009000:Monocytes / Q000473:pathology; D009190:Myelodysplastic Syndromes / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit; D011519:Proto-Oncogenes; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D016184:Receptors, Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D019089:Stem Cell Factor
chemical_list: D016298:Hematopoietic Cell Growth Factors; D007377:Interleukin-3; C078524:PIXY321 fusion protein, recombinant; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D016184:Receptors, Colony-Stimulating Factor; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D019089:Stem Cell Factor; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases