Induction of the differentiation of HL-60 promyelocytic leukemia cells by palmitoleic and myristoleic acids

Abstract

Exposure of HL-60 promyelocytic leukemia cells to palmitoleic or myristoleic acids for 6 days produced both functional and morphological granulocytic maturation. Considerably less or no induction of differentiation occurred with a variety of other fatty acids. Combinations of fatty acids with the granulocytic inducer of maturation, DMSO, did not significantly increase the degree of differentiation of HL-60 cells over that produced by the fatty acids alone. A series of HL-60 cell clones were isolated which differed in sensitivity to the differentiation inducing activities of palmitoleic acid, myristoleic acid, and DMSO. These findings imply that myristoleic acid and palmitoleic acid act to initiate the maturation process by events that are distinct from those produced by DMSO. The capacity of myristoleic and palmitoleic acids to induce leukemic cell differentiation is discussed with respect to protein acylation by fatty acids.