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Differentiation of HL-60 promyelocytes to granulocytes induced via the activation of protein kinase-C by benzene

Conference · · FASEB Journal (Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology); (United States)
OSTI ID:5145262
; ;  [1]
  1. Rutgers-the State Univ., Piscataway, NJ (United States) Thomas Jefferson Univ., Philadelphia, PA (United States)

Benzene is a hematotoxin which affects the development of bone marrow progenitor cells and a leukemogen which causes acute myelogenous leukemia. The authors studied the effect of benzene on the differentiation of progenitors of the myeloid lineage, using HL-60 promyelocytic leukemia cells which can be induced to differentiate to granulocytes via the activation of protein kinase-C (PKC) by DMSO and retinoic acid. Exposure of HL-60 cells to 5 mM benzene for 5 min. results in the activation of PKC as measured by an increases in the phosphorylation of cellular proteins in a whole cell assay including proteins pp17 and pp27 reported by Feuerstein and Cooper to be involved in HL-60 cell differentiation. The increase in protein phosphorylation observed with benzene was equally as great as that observed with 100 ng/mL PMA, used as a control. Under the same conditions, benzene induces differentiation of the promyelocytes into granulocytes as measured by the acquisition of superoxide production and granulocyte morphology. Preincubation with 40 {mu}M sphinganine, a PKC inhibitor, prevents the benzene-induced increase in cellular protein phosphorylation and the differentiation to granulocytes. These results indicate that benzene, by activation of PKC, can affect myeloid differentiation which may play a role in the ability of benzene to cause acute myelogenous leukemia.

OSTI ID:
5145262
Report Number(s):
CONF-9104107--
Journal Information:
FASEB Journal (Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology); (United States), Journal Name: FASEB Journal (Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology); (United States) Vol. 5:5; ISSN FAJOE; ISSN 0892-6638
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English