Cellular specificity and molecular characteristics of the binding of colony-stimulating factors to normal and leukemic cells.

The colony-stimulating factors (CSFs) form a family of hemopoietic growth factors controlling the survival, proliferation and differentiation of hemopoietic progenitor cells as well as the functional activities of the mature cells in the tissues [1]. In the mouse, four distinct CSFs controlling granulocyte and macrophage production have been identified, purified and, in two cases, molecularly cloned multi-CSF or interleukin-3, GMCSF, M-CSF or CSF-1, and G-CSF [2,3]. Human equivalents of GM-CSF (CSFa, NIF-T or pluripoietin a), G-CSF (CSFP or pluripoietin) and M-CSF have also been