Colony-stimulating factors: enhancement of effector cell function.

Haemopoietic growth factors both stimulate the growth and maturation of marrow precursor cells and enhance the functional activities of mature myelomonocytic effector cells. These biological effects are consistent with the expression of functional colony stimulating factor receptors on granulocytes and monocytes as well as on those immature marrow cells with proliferative potential. As the number of defined haemopoietic growth factors increases, both general perspectives of effector cell function and pathways of growth factor-induced signal transduction become more complex and less clearly understood. Although most known haemopoietic growth factors are briefly discussed, an effort has been made to focus on granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor as a prototypic inducer of enhanced neutrophil, eosinophil and macrophage effector cell function.