Different blocks in the differentiation of myeloid leukemic cells.

Some clones of mouse myeloid leukemic cells (D(+)) can be induced to undergo cell differentiation to mature macrophages and granulocytes, and other clones (D(-)) could not be induced to differentiate to mature cells. Normal mature macrophages and granulocytes have surface receptors that form rosettes with erythrocytes coated with specific immunoglobulin or immunoglobulin-complement. The D(+) clones were induced to form receptors by prednisolone, cytosine-arabinoside, 5-iododeoxyuridine, actinomycin D, or serum from mice injected with endotoxin. All these compounds thus induced a common change in the cell surface membrane. The induction of receptors required protein synthesis, and receptors were formed before the appearance of mature cells. There were two types of D(-) clones. One type was induced by these compounds to form receptors, although with a lower inducibility than D(+) clones; in the other type there was no induction of receptors. The results indicate that there are different blocks in the differentiation of myeloid leukemic cells. Some leukemic cells (IR(+)D(+)) can be induced to form receptors and to differentiate to mature cells; others (IR(+)D(-)) can form receptors but not mature cells; and a third type (IR(-)D(-)) could not be induced to form receptors or mature cells.