Multilineage synergistic activity produced by a murine adherent marrow cell line.

We reported previously that a cell line (TC-1) derived from adherent marrow cells produced colony-stimulating factor 1 (CSF-1) and a separate activity that acts synergistically with CSF-1 to stimulate giant macrophage colonies. We now report that an activity in TC-1 conditioned media (CM) separate from CSF-1 also synergizes multilineage colony formation by pure interleukin 3 (IL 3) and a crude source of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating activity (GM-CSA) (murine lung-conditioned media). IL 3-induced megakaryocyte colony formation is also synergized. The CSF-1-dependent synergistic activity is not blocked by antibodies to IL 3 and is characterized as a nondialyzable (mol wt cutoff 3,000), heat-stable (56 degrees C, 30') activity that binds to DE-52 cellulose under conditions in which IL 3 does not. This material has an apparent mol wt of approximately 200,000 by Sephadex G100 chromatography, and the bulk of it binds to Concanavalin A (Con A) and elutes off with alpha-methyl mannoside, indicating that it is a glycoprotein. As reported separately, these purified active fractions also have a pre-B cell-inducing activity. In addition, a non-IL 3 activity stimulates proliferation of the factor-dependent cell lines FDC-P1 and DA-1. These data indicate that an adherent marrow cell line produces a growth factor(s) that synergizes with IL 3, GM-CSA, and CSF-1 and induces pre-B cell formation. This may be an important regulator of early multilineage lymphohemopoiesis.