Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to determine the distribution of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and its receptor (GM-CSF-R) in the human fetus. We used reverse transcription PCR to detect GM-CSF and GM-CSF-R mRNA in human fetal organs at 8 and 16 wk postconception, and cell-specific protein expression was localized in tissues by immunohistochemistry. GM-CSF was also measured by ELISA in paired samples of spinal fluid and plasma. GM-CSF mRNA and/or protein were detected in lung macrophages, spleen, adrenal cortex, placenta, and CNS including neurons and astrocytes. GM-CSF was detected by ELISA in 10 of the 39 cerebrospinal fluid samples tested. GM-CSF-R mRNA expression was present in all organs tested. Immunoreactivity for GM-CSF-R in most organs was limited to macrophages, but, brain, neurons and glial cells showed immunoreactivity. We conclude that GM-CSF is produced in lung, spleen, adrenal, placenta, and neural tissues during human fetal development and that GM-CSF–responsive cells include macrophages, neurons, and glial cells.
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Abbreviations
- CSF:
-
cerebrospinal fluid
- GM-CSF:
-
granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor
- rGM-CSF:
-
recombinant granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor
- GM-CSF-R:
-
granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor receptor
- VLBW:
-
very low birth weight
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank Dr. Anthony Yachnis for his assistance in evaluating the neuropathologic specimens and the Clinical Research Center Scatterbed nurses for their help in accomplishing this study.
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Supported by MCAP award RR-00083, grant HL-44951 from the National Institutes of Health, and by grants from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Resources Program of the University of Florida College of Medicine.
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Dame, J., Christensen, R. & Juul, S. The Distribution of Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor and Its Receptor in the Developing Human Fetus. Pediatr Res 46, 358 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199910000-00002
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199910000-00002
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