Changes in phospholipid composition during differentiation of cultured mouse myeloid leukemia cells

Mouse myeloid leukemia cells(M1) could be induced by various inducers to form Fc receptors, phagocytize, migrate in agar, produce lysosomal enzyme activities, and change into forms that were morphologically similar to macrophages and granulocytes. When M1 cells were cultured with inducer, the ratio of the percentage of phosphatidylethanolamine to that of phosphatidylcholine was increased about 2-fold. This ratio of the differentiated M1 cells was similar to that of peritoneal macrophages of normal mice or Mm-1 cells, which were established from spontaneously differentiated macrophage-like cells from M1 cells. These changes in phospholipid may be involved in the mechanisms of expression of the differentiation-associated phenotypic properties.