Specific esterase activity induced in mouse Friend erythroleukemia cells by dimethylsulfoxide

✍ Scribed by Roberto P. Revoltella; Luisa Bertolini; Giuseppe Fioritoni; Glauco Torlontano

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1979
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 311 KB
• Volume: 99
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0021-9541
• DOI: 10.1002/jcp.1040990320

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Three cell lines of mouse erythroleukemia transformed by Friend virus (FLC), namely 745, F4‐1, and 3BM‐78, were grown for six days in the absence or in the presence of 1.5% (v/v) dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and compared cytochemically for naphtol‐AS D‐chloroacetate esterase (E), alkalinephosphatase (AP), myeloperoxidase (MP) and periodic acid Schiff (PAS) reaction activity. In the absence of inducer only 1–2% of slightly E positive cells could be found. E positivity greatly increased in 3BM‐78 and F4‐1 but poorly in 745 cells, after treatment with DMSO. Unlike E reaction, AP and MP reactions were positive in about 5% 3BM‐78 and F4‐1 cells without DMSO, but there were no positive cells after DMSO treatment. All three lines were always PAS negative. Hemoglobin synthesis (benzidine staining) was intensively induced by DMSO in all three lines. Morphologically after DMSO treatment, FLC matured displaying characteristics of basophilic megaloblastoid cells. The emergence of specific esterase activity, a marker of granulocytes, in FLC differentiating along the erythroid pathway, suggests that in these leukemia cells the genetic determinants for leukopoietic differentiation are retained and capable of being expressed phenotypically.