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Modulation of c‐fms Proto‐Oncogene Expression in Human Blood Monocytes and Macrophages
Author(s) -
Radzun Heinz J.,
Kreipe Hans,
Heidorn Klaus,
Parwaresch Mohammad R.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
journal of leukocyte biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.819
H-Index - 191
eISSN - 1938-3673
pISSN - 0741-5400
DOI - 10.1002/jlb.44.3.198
Subject(s) - biology , oncogene , expression (computer science) , microbiology and biotechnology , monocyte , macrophage , immunology , human blood , cancer research , gene , genetics , physiology , in vitro , cell cycle , computer science , programming language
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.