title: Autoinduction of differentiation in WEHI-3B leukemia cells.
abstract: Cells of the differentiation-responsive mouse myelomonocytic leukemia cell line WEHI-3B D+ form colonies in agar exhibiting a low frequency of spontaneous differentiation mainly in the macrophage pathway. Compared with undifferentiated colonies, spontaneously differentiating colonies have a reduced content of clonogenic cells and surviving clonogenic cells tend themselves to form differentiating colonies, both being characteristics of differentiated colonies induced by the regulator, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, G-CSF. Colony crowding increased the frequency of spontaneously differentiating colonies and WEHI-3B D+ colony cells were shown to release material able to induce differentiation in WEHI-3B D+ colonies. Cells from spontaneously differentiating D+ colonies were not hyperresponsive to the induction of differentiation by G-CSF and did not release larger amounts of differentiation-inducing material than did cells from undifferentiated colonies. Cells of the differentiation-unresponsive WEHI-3B D-line produced similar amounts of differentiation-inducing material to those produced by D+ cells. Apparently spontaneous differentiation in WEHI-3B D+ colonies seems most likely to be due to exposure of the colony-forming cell or its ancestors to a differentiation-inducing factor of WEHI-3B origin prior to culture in agar, the genetic program initiating differentiation being inherited by the progeny of the exposed cell.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002460:Cell Line; D002999:Clone Cells; D003115:Colony-Stimulating Factors / Q000494:pharmacology; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000032:analysis; D006131:Growth Inhibitors; D015850:Interleukin-6; D053605:Leukemia Inhibitory Factor; D007942:Leukemia, Experimental / Q000473:pathology; D007951:Leukemia, Myeloid / Q000473:pathology*; D008222:Lymphokines; D051379:Mice
chemical_list: D003115:Colony-Stimulating Factors; D006023:Glycoproteins; D006131:Growth Inhibitors; D015850:Interleukin-6; D053605:Leukemia Inhibitory Factor; C507838:Lif protein, mouse; D008222:Lymphokines