Human B-cell lymphoma cell lines are highly sensitive to apoptosis induced by all-trans retinoic acid and interferon-gamma.

When cells were incubated in the presence of both interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), the concentration of IFN-gamma required to induce apoptosis of B-cell lymphoma cells was much lower than that required for myeloid or erythroid cell lines. The concentration of IFN-gamma that effectively inhibited the proliferation of BALM-3 cells was 1/40 of that required for BALM-1 cells. STAT-1 phosphorylation, IRF-1 mRNA and protein expression and RAR-beta expression were enhanced to a greater degree in BALM-3 cells treated with IFN-gamma and ATRA than in BALM-1 cells treated with IFN-gamma and ATRA, suggesting that these IFN-gamma related genes were involved in the induction of apoptosis of BALM-3 cells.