In vitro release of physically separable factors from monocytes that exert opposing effects on erythropoiesis

In order to investigate the capacity of monocytes to release erythroid burst-promoting activity (BPA), we added media conditioned by homologous monocytes to both serum-free human and serum-restricted murine marrow culture. We found that soluble, membrane vesicle-free culture medium is a potent source of the growth factor. On the other hand, monocyte membranes or exfoliated plasma membrane vesicles elaborate a factor that inhibits erythroid burst formation by up to 100%. Inhibitory activity is expressed in a dose-dependent fashion over a wide range of concentrations (0.001 to 10 micrograms/mL) tested. Experiments with antilymphocyte plasma membrane IgG, which has been shown to neutralize both soluble and membrane-bound lymphocyte-derived BPA in human marrow culture, indicate that the expression of soluble BPA by monocytes is unaffected by these antibodies. Furthermore, while antimembrane IgG is capable of absorbing BPA from LCM supernatants, these antibodies are ineffective in removing BPA from MCM supernatants, suggesting that these two soluble growth factors may be antigenically distinct. Our findings indicate that while monocytes release soluble BPA, they are also a source of membrane-associated factors that exert inhibitory effects on erythropoiesis in vitro.