Specific binding of the mononuclear phagocyte colony-stimulating factor CSF-1 to the product of the v-fms oncogene

Cells transformed by the McDonough strain of feline sarcoma virus (SM-FeSV) express a v-fms-encoded glycoprotein whose expression at the cell surface correlates with the transformed phenotype. The mouse mononuclear phagocyte growth factor CSF-1 specifically binds to SM-FeSV-transformed cells at high-affinity sites indistinguishable from those detected on normal feline macrophages. A monoclonal antibody to a v-fms-encoded epitope competed for CSF-1 binding to SM-FeSV-transformed cells, and chemical cross-linking demonstrated that murine CSF-1 bound to the v-fms gene product at the cell surface. Although SM-FeSV transformed fibroblast lines were found to secrete CSF-1, the growth of transformed cells was not affected by antibodies to the v-fms gene product or to the growth factor. Tyrosine phosphorylation of the v-fms products in membranes was observed in the absence of CSF-1 and was not enhanced by addition of the murine growth factor. The data support the hypothesis that the c-fms protooncogene product is related, and possibly identical, to the CSF-1 receptor and suggest that the v-fms-encoded kinase functions in the absence of an exogenous growth factor.