Rabbit polyclonal antibody to FMIP (E602)

Although the macrophage colony stimulating factor (M~CSF) and its receptor, c~Fms, are involved in the survival and proliferation of hematopoietic cells, little is known about the signalling events leading to differentiation into mature blood cells. A 78 kDa Fms~interacting protein, FMIP, transiently binds to M~CSFactivated Fms~molecules. This binding results in a rapid phosphorylation of FMIP within its Fms~binding domain, thereby dissociating Fms and FMIP. Endogenous levels of FMIP may form a threshold that decide whether bipotential progenitor cells differentiate into macrophages or granulocytes. Myeloid progenitor cells express low levels of endogenous FMIP and, upon M~CSF specific signalling, are differentiated into macrophages. Overexpression of FMIP may saturate Fms, which results in predominant cytoplasmic expression of FMIP and favors granulocyte differentiation.