Description
Macrophage Colony Stimulating Factor (M-CSF), also called CSF-1, is a hematopoietic growth factor that is involved in the proliferation, differentiation, and survival of monocytes, macrophages, and bone marrow progenitor cells. It is produced by osteoblasts (as a result of endocrine stimulation by parathyroid hormone), exerts paracrine effects on osteoclasts, and can interact with CSF1R. M-CSF is a four α-helical bundle cytokine and its active form is found extracellularly as a disulfide-linked homodimer thought to be produced by proteolytic cleavage of membrane-bound precursors. Recombinant human M-CSF is a disulfide-linked homodimer consisting of two 159 amino acid polypeptide chains