The interaction of 125I-colony-stimulating factor-1 with bone marrow-derived macrophages

The colony-stimulating factor, CSF-1, stimulates cultured quiescent murine bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMM) to enter DNA synthesis with a lag phase of 10-12 h. The binding, dissociation, internalization, and degradation of 125I-CSF-1 by BMM during the lag phase were investigated. Quiescent BMM express approximately 5 X 10(4) cell surface receptor sites/cell but contain additional cryptic sites (approximately 10(5)/cell) that can appear at the cell surface within 10 min at 37 degrees C. Studies of the binding reaction at both 2 degrees C (Kd less than or equal to 2 X 10(-13) M) and 37 degrees C (Kd approximately 4 X 10(-10) M) are consistent with the existence of a single class of cell surface sites. The disappearance of cell surface 125I-CSF-1 following a 2-37 degrees C temperature shift results from two, competitive, first order processes, internalization and dissociation. Internalization (t1/2 = 1.6 min) is 6 times more frequent than dissociation (t1/2 = 9.6 min). Following internalization, 10-15% of the intracellular CSF-1 is rapidly degraded whereas the remaining 85-90% is slowly degraded by a chloroquin-sensitive first order process (t1/2 greater than 3.5 h). These findings were confirmed and extended by studies of the uptake of 125I-CSF-1 at 37 degrees C. Following addition of 125I-CSF-1, cell surface receptors are rapidly down-regulated (t1/2 approximately 7 min) and their replacement does not commence until 20-60% of pre-existing surface receptor sites have disappeared. Despite receptor replacement, initially from the cryptic pool and later by de novo synthesis and/or receptor recycling (4 molecules/cell/s at steady state), the number of receptors at the cell surface remains low. The process results in the intracellular accumulation of large amounts of 125I-CSF-1 (greater than 10(5) molecules/cell) by BMM. Thus, whereas the kinetics of association, dissociation, and internalization of CSF-1 with BMM and peritoneal exudate macrophages are similar, BMM, which exhibit a higher proliferative response, degrade growth factor 12 times more slowly.