Differential Production of IFN-α/β by CSF-1- and GM-CSF-Derived Macrophages

Mature macrophages, derived in vitro from bone marrow progenitors under the influence of either macrophage colony stimulating factor (CSF-1) or granulocyte-macrophage (GM)-CSF, have been shown to differ morphologically and functionally. The data presented in this report demonstrate that macrophages derived from bone marrow progenitors under the influence of CSF-1 are highly resistant to infection with vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), and that this refractoriness can be reversed by treatment of cells with anti-IFN-alpha/beta antibody. In contrast, macrophages derived from bone marrow progenitors under the influence of GM-CSF are highly susceptible to the cytopathic effects of VSV, but can be protected by very low concentrations of exogenous IFN-alpha/beta. These findings suggest that CSF-1 derived macrophages have a greater capacity for the production and/or utilization of IFN-alpha/beta than GM-CSF-derived macrophages, which may account for many of the differentiative differences reported previously.