title: H and L ferritin gene expression in U937 cells induced to macrophage differentiation.
abstract: Ferritin is an ubiquitous protein that has been shown to regulate cell differentiation in several experimental systems. In this study we have investigated the expression of ferritin genes encoding the heavy (H) and light (L) chains in t'B U937 cell line, induced to differentiate to macrophage-like cells by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), retinoic acid (RA) or 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine (Ara-C). An increase in the level of H ferritin mRNA was detected in U937 cells that had been incubated with Ara-C. Treatment of U937 cells with Actinomycin D suggested that the H ferritin mRNA increase was mediated by post-transcriptional mechanisms. The L ferritin mRNA level increased only following stimulation of U937 cells with RA. Immunophenotypic and cytochemical analyses showed that Ara-C was the strongest inducer of the macrophagic differentiation of U937 cells. These results suggest that the increase of H ferritin mRNA expression may represent a sensitive marker of myeloid cells differentiating along the monocyte-macrophage lineage.
authors.affiliation: (IBiG) Istituto di Biologia e Genetica, Università di Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bianchi-Scarrá
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Musso
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cutrona
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fiorentini
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zarcone
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pistoia
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Garré
mesh_terms: D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D002460:Cell Line; D003561:Cytarabine / Q000494:pharmacology; D005293:Ferritins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D016403:Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008264:Macrophages / Q000166:cytology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate / Q000494:pharmacology; D014212:Tretinoin / Q000494:pharmacology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D003561:Cytarabine; D014212:Tretinoin; D005293:Ferritins; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate