Human cell line that differentiates to all myeloid lineages and expresses neutrophil secondary granule genes

Objective The aim of this study was to characterize a human leukemic cell line that appears capable of spontaneous differentiation to all myeloid lineages. Materials and Methods The MPD cell line was derived using standard tissue culture techniques from the peripheral blood of a patient with an aggressive nonchronic myelogenous leukemia myeloproliferative disorder. Immunophenotyping, cytogenetic analysis, reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, Northern blotting, immunoblotting, and colony assays were used to characterize the line and to assess its ability to express lineage-specific genes representative of advanced differentiation. Results Light microscopic morphologic analysis of the MPD cell line suggests that it has the unique property of spontaneous differentiation to mature-appearing neutrophils, macrophages, eosinophils, and basophils in proportions that approximate those found in normal bone marrow or peripheral blood. It was demonstrated that this cell line is capable of producing lineage-specific mRNA and granule proteins of at least two myeloid lineages, neutrophil and eosinophil, including neutrophil secondary granule proteins, which are not expressed in other available human cell lines. MPD cells were found to be capable of producing differentiated myeloid colonies (neutrophil, eosinophil, macrophge, mixed) in semisolid medium. Conclusion The ability of MPD cells to express genetic programs associated with advanced differentiation of multiple myeloid lineages will make it a valuable tool for the study of the processes underlying lineage commitment and the regulation of expression of lineage-specific genes.