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Alveolar macrophages from normal individuals and patients with interstitial lung diseases spontaneously expressed a 4.2-kilobase mRNA complementary to the c-sis gene, a proto-oncogene coding for one of the chains of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF). Concomitantly, these cells released a mediator with the properties of PDGF, including: chemotactic factor for smooth muscle cells whose activity was resistant to heat and acid, but sensitive to reduction; mitogenic (competence) activity for fibroblasts; ability to compete with PDGF for its receptor; and precipitated by an anti-PDGF antibody. While blood monocytes did not contain c-sis mRNA transcripts, monocytes matured in vitro expressed c-sis, consistent with the concept that expression of c-sis occurs during the differentiation of monocytes into alveolar macrophages. Together with the known actions of PDGF, these observations suggest that the c-sis proto-oncogene and its PDGF product are part of the armamentarium available to the alveolar macrophages for normal lung defense and participation in lung inflammation.
Mornex et al. (Tue,) studied this question.