Induction of differentiation of human promyelocytic leukemia (HL-60) cells by teleocidin and phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate.

Human promyelocytic leukemia cells (HL-60) were induced to differentiate into macrophage-like cells in a dose-dependent manner by the tumor promoters phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate and teleocidin, a non-phorbol ester promoter. An HL-60 cell variant, designated as R-59, which is resistant to differentiation induction by phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate was also resistant to differentiation induction by teleocidin. Differentiation was determined by increases in the percent of morphologically mature cells and in lysozyme and nonspecific esterase activities. Both compounds inhibited the growth of HL-60 cells by blocking them from entering the synthesis phase of the cell cycle with an accumulation of cells after 48 h in G1 phase. No such effects were observed in the R-59 cells. They were, however, as susceptible as the parent HL-60 cells, to inducers which are not considered to be tumor promoters such as dimethylsulfoxide and retinoic acid. However, these inducers cause the HL-60 and R-59 cells to differentiate into granulocyte-like cells. These results indicate that teleocidin produces in both the HL-60 and R-59 cells effects which are similar to those cause by phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate. The possibility that agents producing such effects in these two cell types may represent potential tumor promoters is discussed.