Mannosylerythritol lipid induces granulocytic differentiation and inhibits the tyrosine phosphorylation of human myelogenous leukemia cell line K562.

Mannosylerythritol lipid (MEL), which induced granulocytic differentiation of human promyelocytic leukemia cell line HL60, also induced differentiation of human myelogenous leukemia cell line K562. MEL inhibited insulin-dependent cell proliferation and induced leukocyte esterase activity of K562 cells. MEL markedly increased the differentiation-associated characteristics in granulocytes, such as nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) reducing ability, expression of Fc receptors, and phagocytic activity of K562 cells. The tyrosine phosphorylation in K562 cells inhibited by MEL. These results suggest that MEL directly down-regulates the tyrosine kinase activities in K562 cells to inhibit the cell proliferation and to induce the differentiation.