Expression of Red Cell Specific Determinants during Differentiation in the K562 Erythroleukaemia Cell Line

Abstract

A human hemopoietic cell line (K562) which exhibits various erythroid characteristics, has been utilized as a model system for studying erythropoietic differentiation. The alterations in expression of cell membrane determinants which accompany the induction of Hb synthesis were analyzed. The K562 cell line exhibits a number of erythroid features: it expresses immunologically detectable membrane proteins, glycophorin A and spectrin can be induced, by addition of hemin or n-butyrate, to synthesize Hb. N and i-like blood group activities are demonstrable in uninduced K562, but band 3, ABH and other major alloantigens characteristic of mature erythrocytes are lacking. The acquisition of cell surface antigens typifying erythroid or other hemopoietic lineages was not demonstrated following induction, although certain properties not associated with morphologically recognizable red cell precursors are lost. The relevance of these findings to the fetal nature and possible multipotentiality of the K562 cell line are discussed.