Cited by 154Immune cells in cancerGenomics and Chromatin DynamicsHematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 55 of the 59 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 40 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

The transcription factor PU.1 is involved in macrophage proliferation.

Open access
Celada, A, Borràs, F E, Soler, C, Lloberas, J, Klemsz, M, van Beveren, C, McKercher, S, Maki, R A·1996·The Journal of experimental medicine

Abstract

PU.1 is a tissue-specific transcription factor that is expressed in cells of the hematopoietic lineage including macrophages, granulocytes, and B lymphocytes. Bone marrow-derived macrophages transfected with an antisense PU.1 expression construct or treated with antisense oligonucleotides showed a decrease in proliferation compared with controls. In contrast, bone marrow macrophages transfected with a sense PU.1 expression construct displayed enhanced macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF)-dependent proliferation. Interestingly, there was no effect of sense or antisense constructs of PU.1 on the proliferation of the M-CSF-independent cell line, suggesting that the response was M-CSF dependent. This was further supported by the finding that macrophages transfected with a sense or an antisense PU.1 construct showed, respectively, an increased or a reduced level of surface expression of receptors for M-CSF. The enhancement of proliferation seems to be selective for PU.1, since transfections with several other members of the ets family, including ets-2 and fli-1, had no effect. Various mutants of PU.1 were also tested for their ability to affect macrophage proliferation. A reduction in macrophage proliferation was found when cells were transfected with a construct in which the DNA-binding domain of PU.1 was expressed. The PEST (proline-, glutamic acid-, serine-, and threonine-rich region) sequence of the PU.1 protein, which is an important domain for protein-protein interactions in B cells, was found to have no influence on PU.1-enhanced macrophage proliferation when an expression construct containing PU.1 minus the PEST domain was transfected into bone marrow-derived macrophages. In vivo, PU.1 is phosphorylated on several serine residues. The transfection of plasmids containing PU.1 with mutations at each of five serines showed that only positions 41 and 45 are critical for enhanced macrophage proliferation. We conclude that PU.1 is necessary for the M-CSF-dependent proliferation of macrophages. One of the proliferation-relevant targets of this transcription factor could be the M-CSF receptor.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

PU.1 is required for M-CSF-dependent macrophage proliferation: antisense PU.1 reduced proliferation, while sense PU.1 enhanced M-CSF- and GM-CSF-dependent proliferation. The effect appears linked to M-CSF receptor surface expression and requires PU.1 serine residues 41 and/or 45.

Key findings

  • Antisense PU.1 expression construct or antisense oligonucleotides decreased bone marrow-derived macrophage (BMDM) proliferation; at 600 or 1,200 U/ml M-CSF, antisense versus control differences were significant (P < 0.01).
  • Sense PU.1 enhanced M-CSF-dependent proliferation and also GM-CSF-dependent proliferation; the GM-CSF effect was abolished by anti-M-CSF antibodies, and anti-M-CSF caused a 30% decrease in control-vector BMDM proliferation.
  • PU.1 sense increased and PU.1 antisense reduced surface M-CSF receptor expression; ets-2 and fli-1 had no effect on M-CSF-dependent proliferation.
  • PU.1 mutants showed that the PEST domain was dispensable, the DNA-binding domain reduced proliferation, and only serine positions 41 and 45 were critical for enhanced macrophage proliferation.

Methods

  • BMDM were obtained from 6-week-old DBA/2 mice and cultured with M-CSF/L cell-conditioned medium; macrophage cell lines RAW264.7, IC-21, and BAC1 2F5-A were also used.
  • Cells were transfected by electroporation with PU.1 sense, antisense, mutant, ets-2, or fli-1 constructs, or treated with antisense oligonucleotides; transfection efficiency was 7–12% as assessed with green fluorescent protein.
  • Proliferation was measured by [3H]thymidine incorporation or Coulter counting; M-CSF receptor surface expression was measured by specific antibodies and flow cytometry; experiments were performed at least five times, in triplicate, with Student’s paired t test.

Limitations

  • The paper states that the number of PU.1-regulated genes that could modulate macrophage proliferation in response to M-CSF is unknown.
  • Evident from the text: transfection efficiency was only 7–12%, so proliferation and receptor data reflect effects in a minority of cells within mixed populations.
  • Evident from the text: some supporting results are reported as “data not shown,” including proliferation of M-CSF-independent macrophage cell lines and receptor results with antisense oligonucleotides.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1084/jem.184.1.61

Cites

55 of 55 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

0 of 40 cited sources checked · 0 supported · 0 flagged

Show all 45 claims

  • It may state two separate claims as one. 11
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 24
28 of 28
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    In vivo, PU.1 is phosphorylated on several serine residues.

    “In vivo, PU. 1 is phosphorylated on several serine residues.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The macrophage cell lines IC-21, RAW264.7, and 2F5A express PU.1 endogenously.

    “The prolifera- tion of three macrophage cell lines, IC-21, RAW264.7, and 2F5A, which express PU.1 endogenously, were tested using the sense and antisense constructs, and no effect on proliferation was observed (data not shown).”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The cell line used to test M-CSF independence is truly M-CSF-independent.

    “Interestingly, there was no effect of sense or antisense constructs of PU.1 on the proliferation of the M-CSF-independent cell line, suggesting that the response was M-CSF dependent.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The antisense and transfection experiments specifically modulate PU.1 activity without off-target effects.

    “The block in macrophage prolif- eration using either an antisense PU. 1 expression construct or antisense oligonucleotides suggests that PU.1 plays a critical role in the proliferation of macrophages.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    BMDM proliferation is a valid measure of macrophage proliferation.

    “When a PU. 1 expression construct lacking the PEST do- main was transfected into BMDM, an enhancement of macrophage proliferation similar to that obtained using the wild PU. 1 construction was observed”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Alanine substitution at serine 41 or 45 does not alter PU.1 function except by preventing phosphorylation.

    “In contrast, PU.1 protein carrying an alanine substitution at $41 or $45 not only failed to stimulate pro- liferation, but also lowered the basal level of proliferation.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The PU.1 constructs are expressed and function as intended in BMDM.

    “PU.1 with the $132/133A or $148A mutations was as active as the wild-type protein in stimulating proliferation of BMDM (Fig. 7 B).”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The M-CSF-dependent proliferation of BMDM reflects normal macrophage proliferation.

    “The enhancement of macrophage proliferation induced by the transfection of PU.1 appears to be related to the presence of M-CSF in the media.”
8 of 8

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

  • DNA-binding-domain result points to the wrong figure panel

    Minor

    The text cites Fig. 7 B for the DNA-binding-domain experiment, but the figure caption assigns that experiment to panel A; panel B concerns serine mutations.

1 of 1

Citations

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Show all 59 references

4 of the 59 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Items 101–154 of 154

Metadata

Authors
Celada, A., Borràs, F. E., Soler, C., Lloberas, J., Klemsz, M., van Beveren, C., McKercher, S., & Maki, R. A.
Affiliations
  • Universitat de Barcelona (ES)
  • Departament de Fisiologia (Immunologia), Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.
Venue
The Journal of experimental medicine
Published
1996-07-01
Volume
184
Issue
1
Pages
61-69
ISSN
  • 0022-1007 (ISSN-L)
  • 1540-9538
OpenAlex
W1972310581
Cited by
152
References
59
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 7
FWCI
2.54
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • The Journal of Experimental Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Dipòsit Digital de la Universitat de Barcelona (Universitat de Barcelona) (submittedVersion, public-domain)
Funders
National Cancer Institute (R01CA042909)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › Immune cells in cancer
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Genomics and Chromatin Dynamics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Hematology › Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
Keywords
PU.1, macrophage proliferation, macrophage colony-stimulating factor, M-CSF receptor, transcription factors, ETS family, ETS2, FLI1, DNA-binding domain, PEST domain, serine phosphorylation, bone marrow-derived macrophages, hematopoietic lineage
MeSH terms
Proto-Oncogene Protein Spi-1, Animals, Base Sequence, Bone Marrow Cells, DNA-Binding Proteins, Gene Expression Regulation, Macrophage Activation, Macrophages, Mice, Inbred DBA, Molecular Sequence Data, Proto-Oncogene Proteins, Trans-Activators, Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor, Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor, DNA, Antisense, Mice

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

A language model drew the claims from the paper on 2026-10-07, under version 3 of the claim definition (model deepseek-v4.1-flash, prompt extract-v3).

A second model labelled each claim on 2026-10-07 (model jev-1.13-20260917, definition revision gold-guideline-v0.2).

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review