Factors promoting colony stimulating activity (CSA) production in macrophages and epithelial cells.

The regulation of colony stimulating activity (CSA) release from CSA producing cells is a poorly understood process. Using freshly isolated mouse peritoneal cells and a continuous line of mouse thymic epithelial cells a precise and reproducible method of short term culture was developed to study this phenomenon. Serum, endotoxin, lithium, and cyclic GMP stimulated CSA release from both cell types. Particles such as zymosan, inulin, latex, and iron filings stimulated CSA release from mouse peritoneal cells but not from thymic epthelial cells. Theophylline and cyclic AMP inhibited CSA release from both cell types. Trypsin activated guinea pig C3 and C5 did not stimulate CSA release. Cycloheximide, an inhibitor of protein synthesis, completely inhibited CSA release. We believe these findings may reflect mechanisms of in vivo regulation of CSA release.