Differential expression of M-CSF, G-CSF, and GM-CSF by human monocytes.

The colony-stimulating factors (CSF) belong to a group of proteins which regulate blood cell production. Human monocytes allowed to adhere express high levels of M-CSF transcripts and secreted protein at 24 h in the presence but not in the absence of indomethacin (Indo), an inhibitor of prostaglandin E (PGE) production. When induced with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), adherent monocytes express M-CSF, G-CSF, and GM-CSF transcripts and secrete these proteins and TNF. M-CSF and GM-CSF messages increase in LPS-induced monocytes by the addition of Indo, while G-CSF mRNA appears to decrease. Exogenous addition of PGE-2 to LPS-induced monocytes down-modulates the expression of M-CSF and GM-CSF transcripts. G-CSF message is elevated, suggesting an alternate pathway to G-CSF regulation. PGE-2 inhibits the secretion of CSFs and TNF. In contrast, LPS-induced monocytes held 24 h in nonadherent culture express G- and GM-CSF but not M-CSF. Monocytes that are adhered for 24 h and then treated with LPS for an additional 24 h express only M-CSF message and secrete M-CSF and TNF. PGE-2 added with LPS during the 24-48 h induction blocks M-CSF and TNF production, but appears to enhance M-CSF message expression, in contrast to its effect on 0 h inductions. These results suggest that adherence alone induces M-CSF gene expression, but low levels of PGE or other arachidonic acid metabolites limit this expression. Other events in 1 d-cultured monocytes block the ability to induce G-CSF and GM-CSF expression with LPS, and block the suppressive effect of PGE-2 on M-CSF expression at the RNA level.