Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor-cultured bone marrow-derived macrophages reveal accessory cell function and synthesis of MHC class II determinants in the absence of external stimuli.

The antigen-mediated activation of a number of T cell clones by bone marrow (BM) cells cultivated in the presence of various colony-stimulating factor (CSF) preparations was investigated. BM macrophages (BMM phi) grown in L929 cell supernatant as a crude source of macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) as well as BM cells propagated in the presence of recombinant M-CSF exhibited transient antigen presentation potential to some T cell clones, being maximal on day 7 and having declined to a low level by day 19 of in vitro culture. Treatment of these long-term-cultivated BMM phi populations with recombinant interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) resulted in predominant antigen presentation capacit…