Distribution and comparison of receptors for leukemia inhibitory factor on murine hemopoietic and hepatic cells

Abstract

Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) is a glycoprotein that induces the differentiation of the monocytic leukemia cell line M1 but suppresses the differentiation of totipotent embryonic stem cells. In an attempt to define the normal cellular targets for LIF, the distribution of LIF receptors within hemopoietic and hepatic tissue was analyzed by binding cells with radioiodinated LIF (125I‐LIF) and subsequently carrying out autoradiography. Autoradiography demonstrated that in each he‐mopoietic tissue examined cells of monocyte/macrophage lineage were the primary cell type labeled with 125I‐LIF. Moreover, both fetal and adult parenchy‐mal hepatocytes displayed higher levels of labeling than either..