Functionally deficient differentiation of HL-60 promyelocytic leukemia cells induced by phorbol myristate acetate.

The human promyelocytic leukemia cell line HL-60 undergoes terminal myeloid differentiation in vitro in response to a wide variety of chemicals. The tumor promoter phorbol myristate acetate induces these cells to develop macrophage-like morphology, adherence, and enzymatic characteristics. The present study confirms those observations and further documents the induction, by 16 nM phorbol myristate acetate, of 5'-nucleotidase activity, another human macrophage marker enzyme. However, more importantly, functional studies show that phorbol myristate acetate-induced HL-60 cells fail to increase above base line uninduced levels of hexose monophosphate shunt activity, superoxide generation, nitroblue tetrazolium reduction, bacterial ingestion, or complement secretion. These cells therefore possess some macrophage-like properties but do not meet several important functional criteria of macrophage identity.