title: The differentiation effect of low-dose cytosine arabinoside is disturbed in PU.1-knockdown K562 cells.
abstract: We recently demonstrated by using PU.1-knockdown K562 (K562 PU.1KD) cells stably expressing PU.1 short inhibitory RNAs and PU.1-overexpressing K562 (K562 PU.1OE) cells, that therapeutic concentrations of 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-azadC) induce erythroid differentiation of these cells and that the PU.1 expression level is closely associated with the differentiating and apoptotic effects of 5-azadC on K562 cells. In this study, we investigated whether the effects of low-dose cytosine arabinoside (Ara-C), which is another erythroid differentiation inducer in K562 cells, is associated with the expression level of PU.1 in these cells. As a result, we demonstrated that the effect of Ara-C on cell viability and differentiation, as determined by the WST-8 assay and β-globin mRNA expression analysis, respectively, was suppressed in K562 PU.1KD cells compared to their controls. Collectively, these findings suggest that sufficient expression of PU.1 is indispensable for the erythroid differentiation of K562 cells.
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology, Kitasato University School of Allied Health Sciences, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-0373, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakano
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology, Kitasato University School of Allied Health Sciences, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-0373, Japan.
authors.forename: Akane
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yanagita
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology, Kitasato University School of Allied Health Sciences, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-0373, Japan ; Division of Molecular Hematology, Kitasato University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-0373, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takahashi
keywords: K562; PU.1; cytosine arabinoside; erythroid differentiation