Colony-stimulating factor (CSF) radioimmunoassay: detection of a CSF subclass stimulating macrophage production.

Colony-stimulating factors (CSFs) stimulate the differentiation of immature precursor cells to mature granulocytes and macrophages. Purified 125I-labeled murine L cell CSF has been used to develop a radioimmunoassay (RIA) that detects a subclass of CSFs that stimulates macrophage production. Murine CSF preparations that contain this subclass of CSF complete for all of the CSF binding sites on anti-L cell CSF antibody. With the exception of mouse serum, which can contain inhibitors of the bioassay, there is complete correspondence between activities determined by RIA and those determined by bioassay. The RIA is slightly more sensitive than the bioassay, detecting approximately 0.3 fmol of purified L cell CSF. It also detect this subclass of CSF in chickens, rats, and humans. In the mouse, the subclass is distinguished from other CSFs by a murine cell bioassay dose-response curve in which 90% of the response occurs over a 10-fold (rather than a 100-fold) increase in concentration, by stimulating the formation of colonies containing a high proportion of mononuclear (rather than granulocytic) cells, and by certain physical characteristics.