Alteration of vimentin intermediate filaments expression during differentiation of HL60 and U937 human leukemic cell lines.

We have studied the alterations of vimentin intermediate filaments in uninduced or differentiated HL60 and U937 human leukemic cell lines. Whereas uninduced lines exhibited only a discrete reseau of vimentin, TPA treated cells acquire a very rich vimentin network similar to that of normal monocytes. On the other hand, DMSO treated HL60 cells differentiate to polymorphonuclears without modification of the IF network. These findings indicate that leukemic cells retain the expression of vimentin and exhibit an IF network similar to that of their normal counterpart.