Inhibition of telomerase activity and human telomerase reverse transcriptase gene expression by histone deacetylase inhibitor in human brain cancer cells

The aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of histone deacetylase inhibitor, trichostatin A (TSA) on the cell growth, apoptosis, genomic DNA damage and the expression of telomerase and associated factors in human normal and brain cancer cells. Here, human normal un-transformed fibroblasts (MRC-5), human normal hTERT-immortalised fibroblasts (hTERT-BJ1) and human brain cancer cell lines (glioblastoma cell line, A-172 and medulloblastoma cell line, ONS-76) were treated with 0.5–3.0 μM TSA for 24 h. Exposure to TSA resulted in apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner in the brain cancer cells. Glioblastoma cell line (A-172) displayed higher sensitivity to TSA-induced cell killing effect and apoptosis than the medulloblastoma cell line (ONS-76). The brain cancer cell lines and hTERT-BJ1 cell line displayed significant inhibition in telomerase activity and hTERT mRNA level after 2 μM TSA treatment. Elevated expressions of p53 and p21 with a decrease in cyclin-D level supported the observation on cell cycle arrest following TSA treatment. Upregulation of Bax and cytochrome c correlated with the apoptotic events in TSA-treated cells. This study suggests that telomerase and hTERT might be the primary targets of TSA which may have the potential to be used as a telomerase inhibitor in cancer therapy.     

Novel benzotriazole N-acylarylhydrazone hybrids: Design,synthesis, anticancer activity,effects on cell cycle profile,caspase-3 mediated apoptosis and FAK inhibition

A series of novel benzotriazole N-acylarylhydrazone hybrids was synthesized according fragment-based design strategy. All the synthesized compounds were evaluated for their anticancer activity against 60 human tumor cell lines by NCI (USA). Five compounds: 3d, 3e, 3f, 3o and 3q exhibited significant to potent anticancer activity at low concentrations. Compound 3q showed the most prominent broad-spectrum anticancer activity against 34 tumor cell lines, with mean growth inhibition percent of 45.80%. It exerted the highest potency against colon HT-29 cell line, with cell growth inhibition 86.86%. All leukemia cell lines were highly sensitive to compound 3q. Additionally, compound 3q demonstrated lethal activity to MDA-MB-435 belonging melanoma. Compound 3e exhibited the highest anticancer activity against leukemic CCRF-CEM and HL-60(TB) cell lines, with cell growth inhibition 86.69% and 86.42%, respectively. Moreover, it exerted marked potency against ovarian OVCAR-3 cancer cell line, with cell growth inhibition 78.24%. Four compounds: 3d, 3e, 3f and 3q were further studied through determination of IC₅₀ values against the most sensitive cancer cell lines. The four compounds exhibited highly potent anticancer activity against ovarian cancer OVCAR-3 and leukemia HL-60 (TB) cell lines, with IC₅₀ values in nano-molar range between 25 and 130 nM. They showed 18–2.3 folds more potent anticancer activity than doxorubicin. The most prominent compound was 3e, (IC₅₀ values 29 and 25 nM against OVCAR-3 and HL-60 (TB) cell lines, respectively), representing 10 and 18 folds more potency than doxorubicin. The anti-proliferative activity of these four compounds appeared to correlate well with their ability to inhibit FAK at nano-molar range between 44.6 and 80.75 nM. Compound 3e was a potent, inhibitor of FAK and Pyk2 activity with IC₅₀ values of 44.6 and 70.19 nM, respectively. It was 1.6 fold less potent for Pyk2 than FAK. Additionally, it displayed inhibition in cell based assay measuring phosphorylated-FAK (IC₅₀ = 32.72 nM). Inhibition of FAK enzyme led to a significant increase in the level of active caspase-3, compared to control (11.35 folds), accumulation of cells in pre-G1 phase and annexin-V and propidium iodide staining in addition to cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase indicating that cell death proceeded through an apoptotic mechanism.     

Ectopic expression of Flt3 kinase inhibits proliferation and promotes cell death in different human cancer cell lines

Stable ectopic expression of Flt3 receptor tyrosine kinase is usually performed in interleukin 3 (IL-3)-dependent murine cell lines like Ba/F3, resulting in loss of IL-3 dependence. Such high-level Flt3 expression has to date not been reported in human acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell lines, despite the fact that oncogenic Flt3 aberrancies are frequent in AML patients. We show here that ectopic Flt3 expression in different human cancer cell lines might reduce proliferation and induce apoptotic cell death, involving Bax/Bcl2 modulation. Selective depletion of Flt3-expressing cells occurred in human AML cell lines transduced with retroviral Flt3 constructs, shown here using the HL-60 leukemic cell line. Flt3 expression was investigated in two cellular model systems, the SAOS-2 osteosarcoma cell line and the human embryonic kidney HEK293 cell line, and proliferation was reduced in both systems. HEK293 cells underwent apoptosis upon ectopic Flt3 expression and cell death could be rescued by overexpression of Bcl-2. Furthermore, we observed that the Flt3-induced inhibition of proliferation in HL-60 cells appeared to be Bax-dependent. Our results thus suggest that excessive Flt3 expression has growth-suppressive properties in several human cancer cell lines.     

Properties of a nuclear protein marker of human myeloid cell differentiation

The Mr 55,000 nuclear antigen present in the human promyelocytic cell line HL-60 is a basic protein that is extracted from nuclei or chromatin by 0.35 M NaCl. The antigen is confined to the nucleus of the interphase HL-60 cell as judged by immunocytochemical localization but disperses throughout the cell during mitosis. The antigen was not detected in leukemic cell lines with blast cell properties or in cell lines representing other lineages. Additional cell lines (ML-1, ML-2, and U937) with myeloid cell characteristics similar to those of the HL-60 cells, which also differentiate in vitro, express the antigen. The presence of antigen in normal human myeloid cells in peripheral blood and bone marrow is consistent with its proposed role in nuclear events associated with normal human myeloid cell differentiation.     

New aspects in the synthesis and secretion of lysozyme by cultured human monocyte cell lines

The main purpose of this study was to investigate lysozyme synthesis and secretion in three human monocyte cell lines: U-937, HL-60, and THP-1, using sensitive fluorescence-based assay of lysozyme activity. PMA and hIFN-γ were evaluated for inducing lysozyme activity. Using well-defined cell lines from the cell culture collection, no lysozyme activity could be detected in the cultured U-937 cells either with or without addition of the inducing factors. These data suggested, contrary to previous reports, that U-937 cell line cannot synthesize or secrete active lysozyme. THP-1 and HL-60 cells were proved to produce enzymatically active lysozyme in increasing amounts with the time course. PMA and hIFN-γ had no significant inducing effect on the production or the release of active lysozyme in THP-1 and HL-60 cells. We showed inhibiting effect of PMA and hIFN-γ on the lysozyme activity, particularly in HL-60 cell line.     

Susceptibility of the human promyelocytic cell line HL-60 to an endogenous antileukaemic factor in suspension cultures

HL-60 human leukaemic cell line a suitable homogeneous target population for the selective endogenous inhibitor of myelopoiesis, isolated in our laboratory, was submitted to multiparameter analysis of cell proliferation in suspension cultures. As detected by 3H-TdR incorporation, a single dose of the regulator elicited a 6 to 8 hours arrest of DNA synthesis. The inhibition could be prolonged by repeated applications. As affected by the factor, alteration of population kinetics is characterized, revealed by flow cytofluorometric analysis, in G1 arrest of a fraction of cells, and diminishing those in hyperdiploid and tetraploid stage. 51Cr-release detection of vitality proved, that the endogenous factor, chemically determined as nucleopeptide, affected non-toxically and reversibly HL-60 cell proliferation.     

DNA topoisomerase I as a site of action for 10-hydroxycamptothecin in human promyelocytic leukemia cells

We investigated the antiproliferative effect of 10-hydroxycamptothecin (HCPT), an alkaloid isolated from Camptotheca acuminata, on the human promyelocytic leukemia cell line, HL-60, and a 4'-(9-acridinylamino)methanesulfon-m-anisidide (m-AMSA)-resistant mutant, HL-60/m-AMSA. Using trypan blue dye exclusion and colony formation, doses of HCPT ranging from 0.01 to 1 microM progressively inhibited growth in both cell lines in a concentration-dependent manner. A minimal cross-resistance, approximately five-fold, between the wild-type and resistant cells was observed. Using the technique of alkaline elution, HCPT produced DNA single-strand breaks and protein-associated DNA strand cleavage in HL-60 and HL-60/m-AMSA cells. Quantitative analysis of drug-induced protein-DNA complexes was performed using sodium dodecyl sulfate-potassium chloride precipitation. In both cell lines, a good correlation with HCPT-induced cytotoxicity was observed. Similar results were achieved in wild-type cells treated with m-AMSA. Enzyme activity was measured in nuclei isolated from HL-60 and HL-60/m-AMSA cells, and in each case HCPT inhibited topoisomerase I activity to the same extent. The data suggest that the principle mechanisms for HCPT-induced cytotoxicity in HL-60 and HL-60/m-AMSA cells are inhibition of DNA topoisomerase I and production of protein-associated DNA strand breaks.     

Stimulation of sialidase activity during cell differentiation of human promyelocytic leukemia cell line HL-60

Sialidase activity of human promyelocytic leukemia cell line HL-60 was assayed by a modification of the fluorometric method using 4MU-NANA as a substrate. The pH optimum was 4.1 and the apparent Km value was 0.10 mM. When the cells were induced to differentiate into granulocytes by either retinoic acid or DMSO, sialidase activity increased markedly. After incubation of HL-60 cells with 1 μM retinoic acid for 6 days and with 1.3% DMSO for 8 days, 91% and 75% of total cells, respectively, differentiated into morphologically mature myeloid cells and the sialidase activity increased to 2.5–2.7 times as much as that of the corresponding controls. In other human myeloid leukemia cell lines, K562 and KG-1, the sialidase activity was found to be 1.5- and 3.8-fold that of HL-60, respectively.     

Induction of platelet-derived growth factor gene expression during megakaryoblastic and monocytic differentiation of human leukemia cell lines.

Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) is one of the most important polypeptide growth factors in human serum. It is composed of two polypeptide chains linked by disulfide bonds. The B-chain is encoded by the c-sis proto-oncogene, which is expressed in several malignant and non-malignant cells including K562 cells differentiating towards megakaryoblasts. Expression of the A-chain has been reported to occur in human solid tumor cell lines independently of c-sis expression. We report here the non-coordinate expression of the A- and B-chains in human leukemia cell lines. The PDGF-A and B-chain (c-sis) RNA expression as well as secretion of PDGF polypeptides are induced in the K562 cell line upon induction of megakaryoblastic differentiation with 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) whereas erythroid differentiation induced with sodium butyrate is accompanied by c-sis expression only. Simultaneously with megakaryoblastic differentiation the RNA level for another platelet protein, the transforming growth factor-beta was also increased, but in a complex manner. The promyelocytic leukemia cell line HL-60 does not express PDGF-A RNA, whereas the promonocytic cell line U937 does. Preferential induction of the A-chain RNA is obtained in both cell lines after treatment with TPA which causes monocytic differentiation. PDGF-A expression in HL-60 cells is also observed after treatment with the tumor necrosis factor-alpha but granulocytic differentiation of HL-60 cells induced with dimethyl sulfoxide or the granulocyte colony-stimulating factor is not associated with PDGF gene expression.     

Dissociation of c-fos induction from macrophage differentiation in human myeloid leukemic cell lines.

Treatment of five human myeloid leukemic cell lines (KG1, ML3, HL-60, U-937, and HEL) with TPA was followed by macrophage differentiation and was accompanied by an early and transient increase in the mRNA level of c-fos proto-oncogene. The induction of c-fos was also observed in human cell lines K562 and K-Gla that did not respond to TPA with terminal macrophage differentiation. The treatment of HL-60 and U-937 cell lines with 1-oleoyl-2-acetylglycerol, a synthetic analog of diacylglycerol that, like TPA, stimulates protein kinase C activity, was followed by early and transient induction of c-fos mRNA in the absence of terminal macrophage differentiation. Finally, treatment of HL-60 with TPA in the presence of retinal, an inhibitor of protein kinase C, drastically reduced the induction of c-fos mRNA but had no effect on the terminal macrophage differentiation that is induced in this cell line by TPA. These results indicate that the induction of c-fos and terminal macrophage differentiation in response to TPA treatment can be dissociated in the in vitro models provided by human myeloid leukemic cell lines. Moreover, these findings suggest that the induction of c-fos is not only insufficient but may also be unnecessary for the differentiation along the monocyte-macrophage pathway.     

Phorbol ester-induced differentiation permits productive human cytomegalovirus infection in a monocytic cell line

The susceptibility of four different human cell lines (HUT 102, THP-1, MOLT-4, and HL-60) to infection by human CMV (HCMV) was studied. Only HUT 102 was susceptible and only immediate-early gene products were produced. However, THP-1, a monocytic cell line, could be infected by HCMV with a full cycle of replication after treatment with 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA), which produced differentiation of the cell line into cells with characteristics of mature macrophages. Late (structural) Ag were demonstrated, as were infectious virions as detected by electron microscopy and infectious center assay. HL-60, a promyelocytic cell line, was not susceptible to HCMV infection after treatment with TPA despite differentiation into adherent cells with properties of macrophages, suggesting that cellular lineage was important. Treatment with TPA after infection resulted in a greatly reduced frequency of infected cells, suggesting that pretreatment was essential. Furthermore, continued presence of TPA was unnecessary after differentiation was induced. This study establishes the precedent of productive HCMV infection in human monocytic cells. The potential mechanism and relevance of enhanced replication induced by TPA are discussed.     

Deamination rates of 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine, deoxycytidine and 5-methyl-2'-deoxycytidine in seven hematopoietic cell lines

Enzymatic deamination activity was determined with tritium-labelled substrates in seven established hematopoietic cell lines, in order to compare deamination rates in intact vs. broken cells with cytosine arabinoside, deoxycytidine and 5-methyldeoxycytidine. Deaminase activity was found in all the cell lines, although it was very low in mouse leukemia L1210 cells. The deamination activity of intact cells varied from 1.0 to 38.3 pmoles/micrograms protein/30 min, being highest in the human null-cell ALL line (NALL-1), the human promyelocytic leukaemia line (HL-60) and the human T-ALL line (JM). The variation in specific activities in the broken cells was between 0.9 and 30.2 pmoles/micrograms protein/30 min. The deamination rate of deoxycytidine was in general higher than that of 5-methyldeoxycytidine or cytosine arabinoside.     

Nuclear retinoic-acid-binding proteins and receptors in retinoic-acid-responsive cell lines

Nuclear retinoic-acid-binding activity and the expression of retinoic acid receptor mRNA (RAR-alpha and RAR-beta) were assayed in the F9 embryonal carcinoma, HeLa, HL-60 promyelocytic leukaemia and S91 melanoma cell lines. A 4-svedberg nuclear retinoic-acid-binding activity was detected in all 4 cell lines, but the levels in the HeLa and HL-60 cells were lower than in the F9 and S91 lines. RAR-alpha mRNA was expressed in all 4 cell lines, although at a very low level in S91 cells. Conversely, RAR-beta mRNA was expressed in S91 cells and, at a lower level, in F9 cells but was undetectable in HeLa and HL-60 cells. RAR-beta, transcribed and translated in vitro from the cloned cDNA coding region, sedimented at 4 S and this suggests that the 4-svedberg nuclear retinoic-acid-binding activity may represent the retinoic acid receptors.     

Induction by retinoic acid of NAD+-glycohydrolase activity of myelomonocytic cell lines HL-60, THP-1 and U-937, and fresh human acute promyelocytic leukemia cells in primary culture

HL-60, a human promyelocytic leukemia cell line, is induced to differentiate by retinoic acid to mature granulocytes. We have now found that after the addition of 1 μM retinoic acid to HL-60 cultures an increase in NAD⁺-glycohydrolase (NADase) activity is detected by 6 hr and after a 33-fold increase in activity reaches a plateau by 24 hr. Cycloheximide inhibits completely the retinoic acid-induced increase in NADase activity indicating that enzyme induction requires protein synthesis $\text{de}\text{,}\text{novo}$. An increase of NADase activity was found not only in HL-60 cells but also in two human monoblast cell lines (U-937 and THP-1) and fresh cells in primary culture from two patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia. An increase in synthesis $\text{de}\text{,}\text{novo}$ of NADase does not appear to be obligatory for differentiation of HL-60 because there was no increase of NADase activity in HL-60 cells induced to differentiate with either dimethylsulfoxide, hypoxanthine, butyrate, or 1, 25-dihydroxycholecalciferol and there were marked increases in NADase activity at concentrations of retinoic acid having little or no effect on differentiation.     

Platonin induces autophagy-associated cell death in human leukemia cells

Platonin is a photosensitizer used for photodynamic therapy. In this study, we tested the effect of platonin on human leukemic cells. Treatment with platonin in the dark markedly reduced cell membrane integrity, and induced significant G₀/G₁ arrest of a panel of human leukemic cell lines, including U937, HL-60, K562, NB4 and THP-1. Development of hypodiploid cells was not evident in these cell lines within 24 h, but was noted in U937, HL-60 and NB4 cells after 24 h. No myeloid differentiation of these cells was noted after 5-day treatment. Intriguingly, exposure of monoblastic U937 cells to platonin caused changes characteristic of autophagy, including appearance of cytoplasmic membranous vacuoles and formation of acidic vesicular organelles (AVO) in more than 95% of cells. The platonin-induced autophagy was accompanied by localization of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 to autophagosomes. Pretreatment with pancaspase inhibitor Z-VAD-fmk abrogated the platonin-induced hypodiploidity, but had no effect on growth inhibition and formation of AVO, indicating a caspase-independent autophagy-associated cell death. Pretreatment of cells with 3-methyladenine attenuated platonin-mediated growth inhibition and formation of AVO. Platonin augmented the expression of BNIP3 in both U937 and K562 cells, whereas had an opposite effect on phosphorylation of mTOR downstream molecule p70S6K. Platonin, at the condition inducing autophagy, induced the mitochondrial membrane permeation. These results suggest that the platonin is capable of inhibiting growth as well as inducing cell death, mainly autophagy-associated, in leukemic cells via a mitochondria-mediated and caspase-independent pathway. A markedly less viability inhibition was noted to human monocytes, the normal counterpart of these myeloid leukemic cells. Platonin, other than a photodynamic agent, may offer significant promise as a therapeutic agent against leukemia.     

A specific type of ganglioside as a modulator of insulin-dependent cell growth and insulin receptor tyrosine kinase activity. Possible association of ganglioside-induced inhibition of insulin receptor function and monocytic differentiation induction in HL-60 cells

Insulin-dependent cell growth has been correlated with insulin receptor function, particularly receptor-associated kinase activity, in in vitro studies. The insulin-dependent phosphorylation of the 95-kDa receptor subunit was clearly inhibited, in a concentration-dependent manner, by the presence of unbranched neolacto series gangliosides having a NeuAc2----3Gal terminus, particularly 2----3-sialosylparagloboside (2----3SPG; IV3NeuAc-nLc4), but not by other gangliosides with a NeuAc2----6Gal terminus or by branched neolacto series gangliosides (e.g. G10). Such inhibition of phosphorylation was minimal with ganglio series gangliosides and negligible with sphingosine, neutral glycolipids, or sulfatide. 2----3SPG did not affect insulin binding to the insulin receptor. Insulin-dependent cell growth and its inhibition by 2----3SPG were observed in three human cell lines so far tested: lymphoid cell line IM9, promyelocytic leukemia cell line HL-60, and erythroleukemia cell line K562. Since IM9 cells contain a much higher quantity of insulin receptor than do HL-60 or K562 cells, insulin-dependent receptor phosphorylation and its inhibition by 2----3SPG in intact cells were clearly observed with IM9 cells. Receptor phosphorylation in intact cells was inhibited when cells were preincubated in the presence of 2----3SPG. Insulin-dependent growth of HL-60 and K562 cells was also inhibited by prolonged culture (96-144 h) with exogenous 2----3SPG. Subsequent to the inhibition of insulin-dependent HL-60 cell growth, a remarkable phenotypic transformation was observed, i.e. changes in morphology, enzymes, and cell-surface markers to those characteristic of monocytes. The level of 2----3SPG in HL-60 cells increased when cells were cultured with 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 to the same degree seen in cells cultured with 5 microM 2----3SPG. Both these treatments led to inhibition of insulin-dependent cell growth, followed by induction of monocytic differentiation. Thus, the cellular level of 2----3SPG may modulate insulin-dependent cell growth and define the lineage specificity of differentiation through modulation of receptor-associated kinase activity.     

Neolacto-series gangliosides induce granulocytic differentiation of human promyelocytic leukemia cell line HL-60

Neolacto-series gangliosides having linear poly-N-acetyl-lactosaminyl oligosaccharide structure have been demonstrated to be increased characteristically during granulocytic differentiation of human promyelocytic leukemia cell line HL-60 cells induced by dimethyl sulfoxide or retinoic acid (Nojiri, H., Takaku, F., Tetsuka, T., Motoyoshi, K., Miura, Y., and Saito, M. (1984) Blood 64, 534-541). When HL-60 cells were cultured in the presence of neolacto-series gangliosides prepared from mature granulocytes, the cells were found to be differentiated into mature granulocytes on the basis of the changes of morphology, surface membrane antigens, nonspecific esterase activity, and the activity of phagocytosis and respiratory burst. The differentiation of cells was dependent on the concentration of gangliosides and accompanied with inhibition of cell growth. These findings suggest that the particular ganglioside molecules play an important role in regulation of cell differentiation and that the appearance of neolacto-series gangliosides on cell surface membrane not only triggers the differentiation but also determines the direction of differentiation in HL-60 cells.     

In vitro cytotoxic potential of Polyalthia longifolia on human cancer cell lines and induction of apoptosis through mitochondrial-dependent pathway in HL-60 cells

Polyalthia longifolia is a lofty evergreen tree found in India and Sri Lanka. We are reporting first time the anticancer potential of P. longifolia leaves extract (A001) and its chloroform fraction (F002). Both inhibited cell proliferation of various human cancer cell lines in which colon cancer cells SW-620 showed maximum inhibition with IC(50) value 6.1 microg/ml. Furthermore, F002 induce apoptosis in human leukemia HL-60 cells as measured by several biological end points. F002 induce apoptotic bodies formation, DNA ladder, enhanced annexin-V-FITC binding of the cells, increased sub-G(0) DNA fraction, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (DeltaPsi(mt)), release of cytochrome c, activation of caspase-9, caspase-3, and cleavage of poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) in HL-60 cells. All the above parameters revealed that F002-induced apoptosis through the mitochondrial-dependent pathway in HL-60 cells.     

The role of interferon-gamma in induction of differentiation of human myeloid leukemia cell lines, ML-1 and HL-60

Highly purified natural interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) induced differentiation having characteristics that are associated with the human promyelocytic leukemia cell line, HL-60. Monoclonal antibody to INF-gamma neutralized its activity. However, the natural IFN-gamma had almost no inducing activity in ML-1, a human myeloblastic leukemia cell line. Similar results were obtained using recombinant IFN-gamma. Mitogen stimulated human leukocyte conditioned medium (LCM) induced differentiation of both ML-1 and HL-60 cells. After treatment of LCM with monoclonal antibody to IFN-gamma, LCM activity was reduced more than 50% in ML-1 cells, and 80% in HL-60 cells. Even if IFN-gamma was eliminated from LCM by affinity chromatography, the LCM induced differentiation of ML-1 and HL-60 cells, but IFN-gamma markedly enhanced the ML-1 cell differentiation induced by IFN-gamma free LCM. The results suggest that leukocytes produce differentiation inducing factor(s) other than IFN-gamma, and that IFN-gamma is both an inducer and an enhancer of induction of human myelogenous leukemia cells.     

Multiple regulation of constitutive and induced interleukin 8 secretion in human myelomonocytic cell lines

Secretion of interleukin 8 (IL-8) and its regulation was investigated in myelomonocytic leukaemia cell lines. Quantification by ELISA revealed a constitutive production in the cell lines HL-60, ML-2, MONO-MAC-6 and MUTZ-3 ranging between 1500 and ca. 5000 pg/ml IL-8 per million cells. No measurable IL-8 was detected in the culture medium of MONO-MAC-1 and THP-1. Stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or tetradecanoyl phorbol acetate (TPA) significantly increased the IL-8 level secreted by all cell lines; the best producers were TPA-treated MONO-MAC-6 and MUTZ-3 cultures, generating more than 50 000 pg/ml IL-8. Also the calcium ionophore A-23187, IL-13, macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF), thapsigargin, an inhibitor of the Ca(2+)-ATPase, and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) strongly enhanced the IL-8 production in MONO-MAC-6 cells. The glucocorticoid dexamethasone and the protein kinase inhibitor staurosporine distinctively inhibited the IL-8 production of MONO-MAC-6 cells. Thus, our results demonstrate a strong constitutive IL-8 secretion in human myelomonocytic leukaemia cell lines; the variety of different modulators affecting IL-8 production leads to the suggestion of a multiple regulation of IL-8 expression and secretion.