Transcriptional regulation of the c-fms proto-oncogene mediated by granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) in murine cell lines.

Differentiation of blood cells is paralleled by a timely ordered expression of cytokine receptor genes. We show here that the expression of the c-fms gene which encodes the lineage-specific receptor for macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF or CSF-1) is directly linked to ligand-mediated activation of the receptor for the granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). In interleukin-3 (IL-3) dependent multipotent progenitor cells, FDC-Pmix GMV#2 cells, GM-CSF treatment results in the rapid formation of full-length c-fms transcripts. Surprisingly, this upregulation of c-fms transcripts is also observed in mouse NIH3T3 fibroblasts stably transfected with genes coding for the alpha- and beta-subunits of the GM-CSF receptor. These results indicate a direct control by the GM-CSF receptor that takes place regardless of cell differentiation. Furthermore, a 2.1 kb genomic fragment containing the c-fms proximal promoter directs GM-CSF-inducible expression of a reporter gene, suggesting a regulation of c-fms gene expression on the transcriptional level.