colony stimulating factor


n.

A hormone produced in the cells lining the blood vessels that stimulates the bone marrow to synthesize white blood cells.

Words nearby colony stimulating factor

Scientific definitions for colony stimulating factor

colony stimulating factor

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.