Abstract
The proliferation and maturation of granulocytic‐monocytic stem cells appears to be controlled by a series of closely related glycoproteins termed “colony‐stimulating factors” (CSFs). Recently, we devised a 6‐step scheme for the purification of murine fibroblast (L‐cell)‐derived CSF. Ten liter pools of conditioned media were concentrated by ultrafiltration, precipitated by ethanol, and separated on DEAE cellulose, Con‐A Sepharose, and Sephadex G 150. The CSF was separated from trace contaminants, including endotoxin, by density gradient centrifugation. The purified material was radioiodinated and used to define the serum half‐life and in vivo distribution. Following IV injection there was a biphasic serum clearance with a t½ of 24–40 min and 2–2½ hours in the first and second phases. Approximately 25% of the tracer was excreted in the urine at 6 h; however, urinary radioactivity was due to low molecular weight peptides. Simultaneous studies by radioimmunoassay showed a similar rapid serum clearance of unlabeled CSF but virtually no urinary CSF activity. Thus, assays for urinary CSF may not provide useful measures of in vivo CSF activity. Further in vitro studies have defined the interaction of CSF with responsive cells in the marrow. Varying doses of CSF were incubated with 10^7^ marrow cells for intervals of 24–48 h. The major increment in cell‐associated radioactivity occurred between 6 and 16 h. The reaction was saturable with 1–2 ng/ml CSF. Binding was prevented by cold CSF, but not by other proteins. Irradiation yielded only a minimal reduction in CSF binding. The interaction of CSF with marrow cells appeared to require new protein synthesis, as binding was completely inhibited by cycloheximide and puromycin. Irradiated mice injected with antibodies to CSF showed an inhibition of granulopoiesis by marrow cells in peritoneal diffusion chambers; however, granulopoiesis in the intact bone marrow was unaffected. Granulpoiesis in long‐term marrow cultures was also unaffected by anti‐CSF. These different responses may be due to accelerated clearance of injected CSF in nonirradiated mice or to extensive stromal interactions that modulate and perhaps control granulocytic differentiation in the intact bone marrow microenvironment.