colony-stimulating factor

noun

1. immunol any of a number of substances, secreted by the bone marrow, that cause stem cells to proliferate and differentiate, forming colonies of specific blood cells. Synthetic forms are being tested for their ability to reduce the toxic effects of chemotherapy CSF

colony stimulating factor

1. Any of various glycoproteins that act to promote the production and differentiation of specific blood cell types. Colony stimulating factors circulate in the blood, acting as hormones, and are also secreted locally. An example is erythropoietin, which is produced in the kidney and regulates the formation of red blood cells from progenitor cells in the bone marrow.

Example Sentences

"Currently, the main treatment for low white blood cell counts is G-CSF, or granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, which is produced by the body and can be administered as a drug," said Jaschke.

From Science Daily

Giving mice a drug that blocked the critical protein colony-stimulating factor 1, which microglia need to survive, was shown to remove around 90 percent of microglia in the brain.

From Scientific American

As a precaution against mass radiation poisoning, many governments stock a treatment called granulocyte colony-stimulating factor.

From Scientific American

Reciprocally, treatment of macaques with interleukin-2 and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor before infection led to depletion of T17 cells, reduction of the ratio between T17 cells and CD3CD4CD25CD127low regulatory T cells, and higher viral loads for 6 months after infection.

From Science Magazine

Using mice bred to develop Alzheimer's symptoms, the USF researchers found that caffeinated coffee causes an increase in blood levels of a growth factor called GCSF, or granulocyte colony-stimulating factor.

From Seattle Times