Genomic cloning and heterologous expression of human differentiation-stimulating factor

Differentiation-stimulating factor (D-factor) purified from mouse Ehrlich ascites cells was sequenced partially and found to be almost identical to leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) from mouse Krebs II ascites cells. In comparison to LIF, D-factor had an additional amino-terminal serine residue. Using synthetic oligonucleotide probes designed from the murine D-factor sequence, we cloned the human gene encoding D-factor. A partial D-factor cDNA was cloned from COS-1 cells transfected with the human D-factor gene under the control of a heterologous promoter. We used this cDNA to construct a vector for direct expression of the protein in Escherichia coli. A mammalian cell expression vector was constructed using the signal sequence of interferon-alpha A linked to the D-factor cDNA. Both forms of recombinant human D-factor were active on the murine myeloid leukemia cell line M1 in a dose- and time-dependent manner for the inhibition of [3H]thymidine incorporation, and also induced phagocytosis, Fc receptor expression, and prostaglandin E2 synthesis by M1 cells.

Synthesis and antitumor activity of new alkylphospholipids containing modifications of the phosphocholine moiety

New antitumor alkylglycerophospholipids, in which primarily the phosphocholine moiety of the platelet activating factor (PAF) molecule was modified, were synthesized from 1-alkyl-2-substituted glycerols by introducing polar head phosphoryl groups having methylene bridges of various lengths (from 2 to 14 carbons). They were tested for PAF agonistic activity and antitumor properties. In a series of 1-octadecyl-2-acetoacetylglycerophospholipids (1a-f), an increase in the length of the methylene bridge separating the phosphate and trimethylammonio group in the polar head side chain at position 3 of the glycerol backbone resulted in a progressive decrease in PAF agonistic activity and a characteristic change in antitumor activity against human promyelocytic leukemia cells (HL-60). Maximal potency was obtained with the compound having a decamethylene bridge (1e, IC50 value = 1.5 microgram/ml). Thus, alkylphospholipids possessing a decamethylene bridge and a variety of substituents at position 2 (1g-n) were synthesized. They showed potent inhibitory activity with IC50 values ranging from 0.4 to 1.9 micrograms/ml, depending on the nature of the 2-substituent in the phospholipid molecule. In in vivo tests of the present series of alkylglycerophospholipids (1a--n), using mice bearing sarcoma 180 and mice with mammary carcinoma MM46 (both cells and compounds were given i.p.), 1-octadecyl-2-acetoacetyl-3-glyceryl omega-trimethylammoniodecyl phosphate (1e) showed the most potent life-prolonging effect. The structure-activity relationships are discussed.

Inhibitory action of transforming growth factor-beta on induction of differentiation of myeloid leukemia cells

The effect of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) on induction of differentiation of mouse myeloid leukemia M1 cells was investigated. TGF-beta 1 induced adherence of M1 cells to plastic dishes and inhibited their proliferation. However, it did not induce differentiation-associated properties, such as phagocytic activity, lysozyme activity or morphological maturation. TGF-beta 1 also caused dose-dependent inhibition of dexamethasone-induced differentiation of M1 cells. The inhibitory activity of TGF-beta 1 was 20 times that of TGF-beta 2 on M1 cells. These results suggest that TGF-beta 1 inhibits proliferation and dexamethasone-induced differentiation of M1 cells by interacting with receptors that can distinguish between TGF-beta 1 and TGF-beta 2. TGF-beta 1 had a much lower inhibitory effect on the growth of a variant M1 cell clone, which was resistant to differentiation inducers, and it did not induce adherence of the resistant M1 cells.

Production of interleukin 6 and its relation to the macrophage differentiation of mouse myeloid leukemia cells (M1) treated with differentiation-inducing factor and 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3

We have studied the production of interleukin 6 (IL-6) and its relation to the macrophage differentiation in murine myeloid leukemia cells (M1). As has been reported, differentiation-inducing factor (D-factor), 1 alpha, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1 alpha, 25(OH)2D3], and recombinant IL-6 similarly induced differentiation of M1 cells into macrophages. The three compounds also induced mRNA expression of IL-6 in M1 cells. M1 cells treated with D-factor or 1 alpha, 25(OH)2D3 produced biologically active IL-6, but the amounts of IL-6 secreted into culture media did not appear to be enough to induce differentiation of M1 cells. Furthermore, simultaneous addition of anti-IL-6 antibody did not suppress the differentiation of M1 cells induced by D-factor or 1 alpha, 25(OH)2D3. These results show that IL-6 production is an essential property associated with the macrophage differentiation of M1 cells, but it may not be responsible for the D-factor- and 1 alpha, 25(OH)2D3-induced differentiation.

Combined effects of differentiation-inducing factor and other cytokines on induction of differentiation of mouse myeloid leukemic cells

Mouse myeloid leukemic M1 cells are induced to differentiate into macrophage-like cells by differentiation-inducing factors (D-factors) and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor. We examined the effects of recombinant human tumor necrosis factor (rTNF), lymphotoxin (rLT) and interleukin 1 (rIL-1) on the induction of differentiation of M1 cells, compared with the effects of D-factor purified from the conditioned medium of mouse Ehrlich ascites tumor cells and recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rG-CSF). rIL-1 induced phagocytic activity, a typical marker of cell differentiation, in at most 30% of M1 cells at concentrations ranging from 10(-10) M to 10(-7) M. The differentiation-inducing activity of rIL-1 was similar to that of rG-CSF and less than that of D-factor. rTNF induced phagocytic activity in 14% of M1 cells only at a high concentration (10(-7) M). rLT did not induce differentiation of the cells even at 10(-7) M. rTNF stimulated induction of differentiation of M1 cells by D-factor, rG-CSF or rIL-1 by two or three fold. The combination of any two of the cytokines D-factor, rG-CSF and rIL-1 induced differentiation of M1 cells more efficiently than any of these cytokines alone. Moreover, the combination of three cytokines rG-CSF, rIL-1 and rTNF, all of which are known to be produced by macrophages, was more effective than the combination of any two of these cytokines in induction of differentiation of M1 cells.

Induction of erythroid differentiation of K562 human leukemic cells by herbimycin A, an inhibitor of tyrosine kinase activity

Herbimycin A, a benzoquinonoid ansamycin antibiotic, is found to reduce intracellular phosphorylation by tyrosine protein kinase. The human chronic myelogenous leukemia cell line K562 expresses a structurally altered c-abl protein with tyrosine kinase activity. When K562 cells are induced to undergo erythroid differentiation by hemin, reduction in the intracellular level of tyrosine phosphorylation occurs. In order to understand the relationship between induction of differentiation and reduction of tyrosine phosphorylation by the c-abl gene product, the effect that herbimycin A, a selective inhibitor of intracellular tyrosine kinase activity, exerts on the differentiation of K562 cells was examined. Reduction of tyrosine phosphorylation in K562 cells by herbimycin A was observed within 1 h. Noncytotoxic concentrations of herbimycin A induced erythroid differentiation of K562 cells but not of murine erythroleukemia 745A cells. The other human myeloid leukemia cell lines (HL-60, THP-1, and U937) tested were not induced to undergo cell differentiation by this antibiotic. Herbimycin A and the other well-known inducers such as hemin, butyric acid, Adriamycin, and 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine had additive or more than additive effects on induction of erythroid differentiation of K562 cells. With respect to inhibition of cell growth, the sensitivity of K562 cells to herbimycin A was highest in the human leukemia cell lines we tested. Noncytotoxic concentrations of herbimycin enhanced the antiproliferative effect of Adriamycin or 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine on K562 cells. Combination therapy with herbimycin A and its derivatives may be considered for use in the treatment of some types of leukemia where tyrosine kinase activities are implicated as determinants of the oncogenic state.

A new experimental model for in vivo studies on differentiation and proliferation of leukemic cells using a mouse myeloid leukemia aneuploid line

We developed an experimental model to investigate in vivo differentiation and proliferation of leukemia cells using mouse myeloid leukemia aneuploid cells (LL-2) and syngeneic SL mice. The LL-2 cells were near-tetraploid cells isolated from mouse myeloid leukemia cell line M1 (clone D501). In suspension culture, the LL-2 cells were myeloblastic and grew well like parent D501 cells, but were distinct from the parental cells due to the large size of their nucleus, double chromosome number and DNA content. The LL-2 cells as well as D501 cells could be induced to differentiate in vitro into mature macrophage-like cells by a protein inducer of differentiation. After transplantation of 4 X 10(6) LL-2 cells into the intraperitoneal cavity of syngeneic SL mice, most of them died of leukemia within 10 weeks. On microscopic examination of the peritoneal cells of the mice, the transplanted LL-2 cells were clearly distinguishable from normal host cells by the size of their nucleus. We determined the increase in the LL-2 cells in the peritoneal cavity by morphological examination of the large-sized LL-2 cells. Survival times of the mice inoculated with the LL-2 cells were prolonged by administrations of an inducer of differentiation, poly(I).poly(C). We found morphological changes in the peritoneal blastic LL-2 cells to mature macrophage-like cells after the serial administrations of poly(I).poly(C) to the recipient mice. Thus the aneuploid LL-2 cells that grow in syngeneic mice may be useful to study in vivo differentiation and proliferation of leukemia cells, and to develop a therapeutic strategy of leukemia using various treatments including differentiation inducers.

Normal mouse lung tissue produces a growth-inhibitory factor(s) preferential for mouse monocytic leukemia cells

A growth-inhibitory (GI) factor, that specifically inhibits the growth of mouse monocytic leukemia cells, was found in conditioned medium of mouse lung tissue, but not in that of mouse brain, heart, liver, or kidney tissue. Conditioned medium of spleen or bone marrow cells had low GI activity. Pulmonary macrophages were as active as peritoneal and bone-marrow-derived macrophages in production of the GI activity. The GI factor inhibited the growth of murine monocytic leukemia cell lines Mm-A and J774.1, but scarcely inhibited the growth of other mouse cell lines, such as a myeloblastic leukemia cell line (M1), a Friend erythroleukemia cell line (745A) and a mammary carcinoma cell line (FM3A). It had no significant effect on the growth of human monocytic leukemia cell lines U937 and THP-1 or on the HL-60 promyelocytic leukemia cell line. These results suggest that the GI factor produced by mouse lung tissue preferentially inhibits the growth of mouse monocytic cells. The GI factor was found to be a proteinaceous substance with a molecular mass of 25 kDa. On chromatofocusing, the GI activity was eluted with Polybuffer 96/acetic acid at pH 7.2-7.5. The GI activity was not significantly decreased by heat treatment at 56 degrees C for 30 min or acid treatment (0.01 M HCl, 14 h), but the GI activity in glycosidase-treated conditioned medium of lung tissue was lost on heat treatment. The GI activity could not be neutralized with anti-(interferon alpha + beta) antibody. The activity was produced constitutively by lung tissues and its production was not stimulated appreciably by lipopolysaccharide, lectin, or poly(I).poly(C). The GI factor appears to be a cytokine unrelated to known cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor, interleukin-1, transforming growth factor beta, and interferons. These results suggest that the GI factor may be involved in negative feedback regulation of macrophage production in steady-state conditions in the lungs.

Contrasting effect of IFN-gamma and IFN-alpha/beta on differentiation of some clones of mouse myeloid leukemic cells

Mouse myeloid leukemic M1 cells are induced to differentiate into macrophage-like cells by a differentiation-inducing factor (D-factor) and various agents. IFN-gamma alone did not induce differentiation of clone T22-3 of M1 cells but inhibited their differentiation by D-factor. That is, IFN-gamma at 4 U/ml inhibited 50% of phagocytic activity of T22-3 cells induced by 7 x 10(-11) M D-factor. In addition, it inhibited the induction of lysozyme activity and morphological differentiation of these cells by D-factor. IFN-gamma also inhibited dexamethasone-induced differentiation of T22-3 cells. Previously interferon-alpha/beta was shown not to induce differentiation of M1 cells itself, but to enhance induction of their differentiation by D-factor. The present study showed that IFN-alpha/beta and IFN-gamma had opposite effects on induction of differentiation of T22-3 cells by D-factor. The effect of IFN-gamma on the differentiation of M1 cells varied with the clone of M1 cells used: IFN-gamma inhibited D-factor-induced differentiation of cells of clones T22-3 and S2, but induced differentiation of cells of clones B24 and S1.

Induction of differentiation of mouse myeloid leukemia M1 cells by serum of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia

We examined the capacities of sera from patients with myeloid leukemia to induce differentiation in mouse myeloid leukemic M1 cells. Higher differentiation-inducing activity (D-activity) was detected in sera of patients with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia or chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) than in sera of patients with acute myeloid leukemia and normal volunteers. The D-activity in the sera was lost on heating the sera at 56 degrees for 30 min. The major peak of D-activity on Sephadex G-200 gel filtration had an apparent molecular weight of 160,000. The origin of the D-activity in sera of patients with CML was studied by culturing fractions of peripheral blood cells of patients with D-activity for 3 days and then measuring the ability of the conditioned medium (CM) to induce differentiation of M1 cells. The cells in the myeloblast and promyelocyte fraction differentiated spontaneously into macrophage-like cells during culture for 3 days and the cells in the late granulopoietic cell fraction differentiated into neutrophil-like cells. Higher D-activity was present in CM of cells in the myeloblast and promyelocyte fraction than in CMs of late granulopoietic cell fractions. These results suggest that human leukemic cells produce D-activity for M1 cells during their differentiation into macrophage-like cells.

Purification of a factor inhibiting differentiation from conditioned medium of nondifferentiating mouse myeloid leukemia cells

Mouse myeloid leukemic M1 cells are induced to differentiate by various differentiation inducers. Activity for inhibition of induction of differentiation of M1 cells (I-factor activity) was detected in conditioned medium of variant M1 cell clones that were resistant to differentiation inducers, and this I-factor activity was shown to be closely associated with resistance of the cells to differentiation inducers. In this work, the I-factor was purified to apparent homogeneity from conditioned medium of resistant M1 cells. The purification procedure consisted of ammonium sulfate precipitation, CM-Sepharose CL-6B, Sephadex G-200, reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography on a C18 hydrophobic support, and high-performance liquid chromatography on a gel filtration column. The factor was analyzed by radioiodination, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and autoradiography. The purified factor gave a single band of protein with a molecular weight of 68,000 on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis which coincided with its biological activity. The concentration of I-factor required for 50% inhibition of dexamethasone-induced differentiation of M1 cells was 24 pM. At its effective concentration it had no effect on cell proliferation, and even at 1.2 nM it did not inhibit colony formation of normal bone marrow cells, suggesting that it was distinct from the inhibitor of normal precursors of macrophages and/or granulocytes.

Inhibition of proliferation and induction of differentiation of human myeloid leukemia cells by novel nucleoside analogs

Purines such as hypoxanthine and 6-thioguanine have the capacity to induce the differentiation of human myeloid leukemia HL-60 cells in culture. Several nucleoside analogs were synthesized and their effects on cell proliferation and differentiation of HL-60 cells were examined. On incubation with these compounds, proliferation of HL-60 cells was inhibited and the cells were induced to differentiate into morphologically and functionally mature granulocytes. Among the compounds we tested, 2,4-diethyl-7,7,8,8-tetramethyl-cis-2,4-diazabicyclol [4.2.0] octane-3,5-dione was the most effective in inducing differentiation of HL-60 cells. This compound was approximately 100 times more potent on a molar basis than hypoxanthine. The compounds reacted synergistically or additively with a typical antileukemic drug (daunomycin) or another potent differentiation inducer (retinoic acid).

Purification of a novel growth inhibitory factor for partially differentiated myeloid leukemic cells

A novel factor termed growth inhibitory (GI) factor, which specifically inhibits the growth of mouse monocytic leukemia cells including monocytic cell lines (Mm-A and J774.1) and other partially differentiated myeloid leukemic cells, has been purified from conditioned medium of some clones of mouse myeloblastic leukemia M1 cells. The procedure for purification of the GI factor included ammonium sulfate precipitation, CM-Sepharose CL-6B and Sephadex G-200 chromatographies, reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography on a C18 hydrophobic support, and high-performance liquid chromatography on a gel filtration column. The purified factor gave a single band of protein with a molecular weight of 25,000 on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel. A concentration of 8 X 10(-10) M GI factor was required for 50% inhibition of growth of Mm-A cells. On chromatofocusing, the GI activity was eluted with Polybuffer 96/acetic acid at pH 8.2-8.4. The purified GI factor markedly inhibited growth of mouse bone marrow cells stimulated by macrophage colony-stimulating factor. The GI factor appeared to be a unique cytokine unrelated to known cytokines such as the tumor necrosis factor, interferons, and oncostatin M.

Production by undifferentiated myeloid leukemia cells of a novel growth-inhibitory factor(s) for partially differentiated myeloid leukemic cells

Mouse monocytic Mm-A cell line is a highly leukemogenic variant cell line of the monocytic and non-leukemogenic Mm-1 cell line, which developed spontaneously from mouse myeloid leukemia M1 cells. Growth-inhibitory factor (GI factor) for Mm-A cells was found in conditioned medium (CM) of differentiation inducer-resistant myeloblastic M1 cells (clone R-1). The R-1 cells were cultured with or without 2% calf serum for 2 days, and the CM was fractionated with 50% ammonium sulfate and used as the GI factor preparation (termed R1CM). When Mm-A cells were cultured with 5% (v/v) R1CM for 3 days, their growth was inhibited about 80%. This inhibition of Mm-A cell growth by R1CM was irreversible. This GI factor also inhibited the growth of M1 cells that had been pretreated with inducer and had expressed some differentiation-associated properties but still retained a proliferative capacity. In contrast, it scarcely inhibited the growth of untreated M1 cells. The GI factor inhibited the growth of other mouse monomyeloblastic leukemic WEHI-3B D+ cells pretreated with a differentiation inducer, retinoic acid, and mouse monocytic leukemia J774.1 cells. However, it did not affect the growth of human monocytic (U937 and THP-1) or myeloid (KG-1, ML-1, and HL-60) cell lines. These results suggest that GI factor produced by parent myeloblastic and inducer-resistant M1 cells preferentially inhibits the growth of mouse monocytic leukemia cells in intermediate stages of differentiation from myeloblastic leukemia cells to mature macrophages.

[Induction of the differentiation of tumor cells as an approach to tumor therapy]

Recently, it has been shown clearly that various tumor cells can be induced by differentiation inducers including biological response modifiers, synthetic chemicals and conventional anticancer drugs to differentiate terminally both in vitro and in vivo into cells with normal characteristics. On differentiation, the cells cease to proliferate and lose their transplantability in either nude mice or syngeneic animals. Furthermore, prolongation by the differentiation inducers of survival times of animals inoculated with various tumors was confirmed. These findings suggest that induction of terminal cell differentiation by differentiation inducers is another approach to tumor therapy, that is "differentiation therapy" of tumors. In this review, recent results of basic and clinical studies on the differentiation therapy of tumors are described. The problems and perspectives of differentiation therapy are also discussed.

Inhibition of messenger RNA transcriptional activity in ML-1 human myeloblastic leukemia cell nuclei by antiserum to a c-myb-specific peptide

Antiserum to a synthetic peptide that defines a hydrophilic region within the putative c-myb translation product was prepared in the rabbit. In lysates from exponentially growing ML-1, human myeloblastic leukemia cells, the antiserum ("anti-myb") reacted with five proteins of Mr 58,000, 75,000, 85,000, 90,000 and 105,000. Of these, only p75 and a trace of p85 were detected, by immunoblotting, in extracts derived from ML-1 cell nuclei. The proteins p58, p75 and p90 were present in readily detectable amounts only in the relatively immature myeloid cell lines ML-1 and HL-60, whereas in the more mature myeloid cell line THP-1 and in the lymphoid line BALL-1 only traces of these proteins were found. p85 and p105 were detected in lysates from all cell lines tested, including myeloid and lymphoid leukemia cells and mouse 3T3 cells. In lysates from ML-1 cells induced to differentiate to monocyte/macrophages or to granulocytes, the concentrations of p58 and p75 decreased in parallel with the cell population moving to maturity; in completely mature populations these two proteins were no longer detectable. In ML-1 cells arrested in G1 by serum depletion, the amount of p58 and p75 and to a smaller extent that of p90 was decreased, whereas the concentration of p85 and p105 remained unchanged. In nuclei from exponentially growing ML-1 cells, the antiserum or its derived immunoglobulin fraction ("anti-myb IgG") inhibited mRNA transcriptional activity by 30%. DNA synthesis was not affected. In contrast, in nuclei from differentiated ML-1 cells, the mRNA transcriptional activity was not significantly inhibited by anti-myb IgG. Similarly, in nuclei from ML-1 cells arrested largely in G1 by serum depletion for 2 days, mRNA transcriptional activity was inhibited by only 11%. Upon supplementation with serum, the mRNA transcriptional activity inhibitable by anti-myb IgG increased in parallel with the increasing rate of cell growth. The difference in total mRNA transcriptional activity observed in nuclei from cells of different growth rate was accounted for by the difference in transcriptional activity inhibitable by anti-myb IgG.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Control of proliferating potential of myeloid leukemia cells during long-term treatment with vitamin D3 analogues and other differentiation inducers in combination with antileukemic drugs: in vitro and in vivo studies

Growth inhibition of murine and human myeloid leukemia cells by differentiation inducers during long-term culture was examined to improve the strategy for therapy of myeloid leukemia by differentiation inducers. When the effect of 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, a typical differentiation inducer, on proliferation of mouse myeloid leukemia M1 cells was examined at a constant product of time and concentration (480 nM in 20 days), the continuous treatment with 24 nM 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 was the most effective for inhibition of cell proliferation. After 20 days, the cumulative cell number was reduced about 3 X 10(5) times by continuous treatment with 24 nM 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. Similar results were obtained when M1 cells were treated continuously with dexamethasone. M1 cells resistant to 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 appeared about 25 days after the start of continuous treatment with 24 nM 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. On the other hand, when M1 cells were treated continuously with 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and noncytotoxic doses of antileukemic drugs such as 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine and daunomycin, resistant cells did not appear for at least 35 days. A similar effect of 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and antileukemic drugs on cell proliferation was observed with the human monoblast-like cell line U937. The survival of syngeneic SL mice inoculated with M1 cells was prolonged more by treatment with both 1 alpha-hydroxyvitamin D3 and daunomycin than by treatment with either drug alone. These results suggest that continuous treatment with both differentiation inducers and certain antileukemic drugs may be more effective therapeutically than treatment with a differentiation inducer alone.

Differentiation of blasts from patients in myeloid crisis of chronic myelogenous leukemia by in-vivo and in-vitro plicamycin treatment

Two cases in myeloid blast phase of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) responded to treatment with plicamycin alone. Their total white blood cell (WBC) count and immature myeloid cells fell in one case rapidly and in the other gradually. Approximately two to three weeks after initiation of plicamycin their total WBC count began to rise again, whereas the mature myeloid cells remained constant throughout the treatment. These results suggest that plicamycin may be effective in suppressing proliferation of blasts and promoting their maturation in the myeloid blast phase of CML, but that plicamycin alone may not be effective enough to sustain duration of response.

Establishment and characterization of a polyploid mouse myeloid leukemia cell line useful for in-vivo examination of cell proliferation kinetics

A near-tetraploid cell line (LL-1) was established from mouse myeloid leukemia Ml cells. This paper reports characterization of the LL-1 cells and the in-vivo detection of the leukemia cells transplanted in syngeneic mice. The LL-1 cells are myeloblastic and grow well in suspension culture. Morphological analysis showed that the nucleus of LL-1 cells was almost twice as large as that of the parent line cells. The modal chromosome number of LL-1 cells was 75, and the DNA index determined by flow cytometry was 2.3. The cells were unresponsive to the inducer of differentiation of M1 cells. Transplantation experiments showed that the LL-1 cells were leukemogenic in syngeneic SL mice: ten mice inoculated i.p. with LL-1 cells (4 X 10(6)) all died of leukemia within 6 weeks. The cells in the peritoneal cavity were collected at appropriate times during progression of the leukemia. On microscopic examination the LL-1 cells were clearly distinguishable from normal host cells in the peritoneal cavity by the size of their nucleus. Counts showed that their number decreased markedly during the first 2 weeks after their transplantation, and then increased about ten times in a week. By 4 or 5 weeks after transplantation these LL-1 cells filled the peritoneal cavity. These large-sized leukemia cells that grow in syngeneic mice will be useful for investigating the mechanisms of in-vivo responses of leukemia cells to various therapeutic treatments.

Induction by recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor of differentiation of mouse myeloid leukemic M1 cells

The effect of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) on induction of differentiation of mouse myeloid leukemic M1 cells was examined. Purified G-CSF caused dose-dependent induction of phagocytic activity and lysozyme activity in M1 cells. Its half-maximally effective concentration was 10 ng/ml. On treatment of M1 cells with G-CSF (100 ng/ml) for 4 days, 30-50% of the cells differentiated morphologically into macrophage cells; 30-40% of the cells were blast cells and 20-30% of the cells were forms intermediate between blastic cells and mature macrophages.

Differentiation-inducing factor purified from conditioned medium of mitogen-treated spleen cell cultures stimulates bone resorption

Spleen cells treated with mitogens produce a potent bone-resorbing factor called osteoclast-activating factor (OAF). To examine the relationship between the bone-resorbing factor and other protein factors produced by spleen cells, the colony-stimulating factor (CSF), the differentiation-inducing factor (DIF), the macrophage fusion factor (MFF), and the macrophage growth factor (MGF) were purified from 2.68 liters of conditioned medium of mouse spleen cell cultures treated with concanavalin A. Purification was performed successively by DEAE-cellulose, Blue Sepharose, and Sephadex G-150 column chromatography and high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). The DIF was successfully separated from CSF and MGF on HPLC. CSF coincided with MGF on HPLC, but MFF disappeared before application to HPLC. Only the DIF exhibited bone-resorbing activity, whereas CSF and MGF did not. The DIFs purified from L929 cells and Ehrlich ascites tumors similarly exhibited bone-resorbing activity. The DIFs purified from spleen cells and Ehrlich ascites tumor cells exhibited neither interleukin 1 (IL-1) activity nor tumor necrosis factor (TNF) activity, though the unfractionated conditioned medium from spleen cells did exhibit them. In the light of recent reports that IL-1 beta and TNF also stimulate bone resorption, the term OAF should refer to a generic activity rather than a single factor.

Specific binding of a factor inducing differentiation to mouse myeloid leukemic M1 cells

A factor inducing differentiation of mouse myeloid leukemic M1 cells into macrophages (differentiation-inducing factor, D-factor), which was purified to homogeneity from conditioned medium of mouse Ehrlich ascites tumor cells, could be iodinated without detectable loss of biological activity. The binding of 125I-D-factor to M1 cells was specific; the binding was inhibited competitively by D-factor derived from Ehrlich cells and mouse fibroblast L929 cells, but not by other growth factors or D-factor derived from differentiated M1 cells. The latter differs from D-factor of Ehrlich cells and L929 cells in antigenicity and molecular weight. At 21 degrees C, the binding was saturated at 370 pM 125I-D-factor. M1 cells showed a high affinity for 125I-D-factor (dissociation constant, 1.0 X 10(-10) M) and expressed a small number of binding sites (170 per cell). Specific binding of 125I-D-factor was observed only to several clones derived from M1 cells, including those sensitive and resistant to induction of differentiation by D-factor.