THE PRESENCE WITHIN SINGLE K-562 CELLS OF ERYTHROPOIETIC AND GRANULOPOIETIC DIFFERENTIATION MARKERS

Abstract

The continuous cell line K-562 derived from a patient with CML [chronic myeloblastic leukemia] in blast crisis was examined for markers of granulopoietic (My-1 [antigen]) and erythropoietic (spectrin) differentiation using specific antibodies detected by indirect immunofluorescence. Both markers were seen and were present in the same cell in 10-30% of cells. The continuous leukemic lines HL-60 and KGl contained My-1 only. Controls consisted of colonies in culture containing granulopoietic and erythropoietic cells (CFU-GEMM). In these My-1 was seen only in granulopoietic cells and spectrin in erythropoietic cells. Genes coding for differentiation markers may be expressed abnormally in K-562.