Regulation of granulocyte- and monocyte-colony stimulating factor mRNA levels in human blood monocytes is mediated primarily at a post-transcriptional level.

Human blood monocytes secrete a number of cytokines following activation including two hematopoietic growth factors, granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) and monocyte/macrophage-colony stimulating factor (M-CSF). The genes for these two factors can be both coordinately and independently expressed. Treatment of monocytes with phorbol myristic acid or cycloheximide induces both genes, while lipopolysaccharide selectively and transiently induces G-CSF transcripts. Interleukin-3 or granulocyte/monocyte-colony stimulating factor selectively induce M-CSF transcripts. Using nuclear run-on transcription assays and Northern blot analysis of actinomycin D-treated cells to estimate mRNA half-life, we show that the induction of both genes is due to mRNA stabilization. In resting monocytes, the levels of transcripts for both G-CSF and M-CSF are very low. Following stimulation with phorbol myristic acid, cycloheximide, lipopolysaccharide, or interleukin-3 the estimated transcription rate of both genes does not increase. However, the half-life of M-CSF mRNA increases to approximately 2 h, whereas G-CSF mRNA half-life increases to as long as 4 h. Thus, the control of CSF gene expression in monocytes is likely to involve more than one post-transcriptional mechanism.