protein_function: Cytokine that plays an essential role in the regulationof survival, proliferation and differentiation of hematopoieticprecursor cells, especially mononuclear phagocytes, such asmacrophages and monocytes. Promotes the release of proinflammatorychemokines, and thereby plays an important role in innate immunityand in inflammatory processes. Plays an important role in theregulation of osteoclast proliferation and differentiation, theregulation of bone resorption, and is required for normal bonedevelopment. Required for normal male and female fertility.Promotes reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton, regulatesformation of membrane ruffles, cell adhesion and cell migration.Plays a role in lipoprotein clearance.
M-CSF, also called CSF1, consists of a 14-amino acid peptide, longer than the usual 8-to-11 mer recognized by most CTLs. The M-CSF gene is mapped to 1p21-p13 and contains 10 exons and 9 introns spanning 20 kb1. Although it is a single-copy gene, its expression results in the synthesis of several mRNAs, ranging in size from about 1.5 to 4.5 kb2. There are 2 forms of M-CSF, with 224 and 522 amino acids, resulting from alternative splicing3. Furthermore, M-CSF has a role in development of the placenta. Uterine M-CSF concentration is regulated by a synergistic action of estradiol and progesterone. M-CSF is produced by uterine glandular epithelial cells. It had been found that FMS, the M-CSF receptor, is expressed in placenta and choriocarcinoma cell lines4.