Purified colony stimulating factors (G-CSF and GM-CSF) induce differentiation in human HL60 leukemic cells with suppression of clonogenicity.

Purified recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (rHGM-CSF) and purified native murine granulocyte-CSF (G-CSF) both induced differentiation in HL60 cells as evidenced by expression of granulocyte and macrophage membrane antigens, although this was not accompanied by morphological evidence of differentiation. Both types of CSF suppressed clonogenic HL60 cells with evidence of complete clonal extinction. The suppression of clonogenic HL60 cells was preceded in some experiments by CSF-stimulated proliferation of HL60 cells, and this was most evident in cultures containing low concentrations of fetal calf serum (FCS).