Inducible production of macrophage colony-stimulating factor (CSF-1) by malignant and normal human T cells.

The CEM-ON malignant T cell line and long-term cultured normal T cells can be induced to release CSF-1 in their culture supernatants. Chemical inducers (PMA + A23187) and, more interestingly, cytokines (tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) and interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1 alpha)), as well as physiological (antigen + IL-2) or specific (anti-CD3 + IL-2 or PMA) stimuli, lead to rapid transient colony-stimulating factor-1 (CSF-1) gene expression and production of biologically active CSF-1. These data suggest that CSF-1 may play a role in the early phases of immune response.