Granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor, often abbreviated to GM-CSF, is a protein secreted by macrophages, and stimulates stem cells to produce granulocytes (neutrophils, eosinophils, and basophils) and macrophages. It is thus part of the immune / inflammatory cascade whereby activation of a small number of macrophages produces more of them in circulation. A representation of the 3D structure of myoglobin, showing coloured alpha helices. ... Macrophages (Greek: big eaters) are cells found in tissues that are responsible for phagocytosis of pathogens, dead cells and cellular debris. ... Bold textGranulocytes are a category of white blood cells, characterised by the fact that all types have differently staining granules in their cytoplasm on light microscopy. ... Neutrophil granulocytes (commonly referred to as neutrophils) are a class of white blood cells and are part of the immune system. ... Eosinophils are white blood cells that are responsible for combating infection by parasites in the body. ... Categories: Wikipedia cleanup | Biology stubs | Blood and immune system cells ... Macrophages (Greek: big eaters) are cells found in tissues that are responsible for phagocytosis of pathogens, dead cells and cellular debris. ... In a medical sense, immunity is a state of having sufficient biological defenses to avoid infection, disease, or other unwanted biological invasion. ... Inflammation is the first response of the immune system to infection or irritation and may be referred to as the innate cascade. ... The word cascade can have many meanings: In biochemistry, a biochemical cascade is a consecutive series of chemical reactions. ...

It is distinct from granulocyte-colony stimulating factor. Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor (G-CSF) is a glycoprotein, growth factor or cytokine produced by a number of different tissues to stimulate the bone marrow to produce granulocytes. ...

It is used as a medication to stimulate the production of white blood cells, especially granulocytes and macrophages, following chemotherapy, and is also called sargramostim.