Control of normal differentiation of myeloid leukemic cells. VIII. Induction of differentiation to mature granulocytes in mass culture.

There are three types of myeloid leukemic cells, IR+D, IR+D- and IR-D-. IR+D+ cells were induced to differentiate to granulocytes in mass culture in liquid medium by conditioned medium (CM) from cultures of lungs from mice injected with endotoxin. About 90% of the leukemic cells were induced to differentiate, 50% to mature granulocytes and 40% to intermediate stages. An efficient induction of granulocyte differentiation was also obtained with CM from primary cultures of rat embryo or human spleen and there was a lower activity with CM from various other sources. IR+D- cells were induced to differentiate to about 20% cells with intermediate stages but not to mature granulocytes; IR-D- cells could not be induced to differentiate to intermediate or mature stages. IR+D+ cells were induced to form intermediate stages of granulocyte differentiation, to phagocytose and to attach to the surface of the Petri dish, three days after incubation with CM. Optimum induction of mature granulocytes required six more days incubation with CM. Mature granulocytes induced from leukemic cells showed cytochemical properties and a morphology in the electron microscope similar to that of normal mature granulocytes. These induced granulocytes did not form leukemiac in animals or colonies in agar. The granulocytes induced from the myeloid leukemic cells, therefore, behaved like normal mature granulocytes.