title: Characterization of factor-independent variants derived from TF-1 hematopoietic progenitor cells: the role of the Raf/MAP kinase pathway in the anti-apoptotic effect of GM-CSF.
abstract: Human hematopoietic progenitor cells (TF-1) undergo apoptosis upon deprivation of their dependent cytokine. In this report, we have isolated and characterized some spontaneously derived cytokine-independent variants from TF-1 cells. Analysis of several signaling molecules known to be activated by the GM-CSF pathway revealed that two non-autocrine variants were still responsive to GM-CSF stimulation. However, both variants, without ligand stimulation, already had some activated forms of Raf and MAP kinases. Given current knowledge, the activated Raf/MAP kinase pathway was likely to be responsible for the survival of both variants in the cytokine-free medium. However, the growth of hybrids between wild type and either variant was unexpectedly dependent on GM-CSF. Both variants like the wild type cells were still susceptible to apoptosis induced by other stimuli. These results suggest that either the activated Raf/MAP kinase pathway in both variants is not sufficient to repress the 'two-fold' death signals generated from the hybrids or that there is another mechanism that is responsible for the factor-independent growth of both variants.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular Biology, Academica Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Chao
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: T F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: L H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Tseng
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Yen
authors.forename: H F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Yang Yen
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000172:deficiency / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000502:physiology; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007377:Interleukin-3 / Q000172:deficiency / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D019908:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-raf; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D007377:Interleukin-3; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D019908:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-raf; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases