Enhancing effect of phorbol esters on induction of differentiation of mouse myeloid leukemia cells by human urinary protein and lipopolysaccharide.

12-O-Tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate, a potent promoter of carcinogenesis in mouse skin, enhanced differentiation of cultured mouse myeloid leukemia cells (M1) induced by human urinary protein or by lipopolysaccharide from Salmonella typhosa. 12-O-Tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate enhanced differentiation of all the markers tested, such as phagocytosis, Fc rosette formation, lysozyme activity, and morphological change. Other potent tumor-promoting macrocyclic plant diterpenes also enhanced the induction of differentiation, but no-tumor-promoting diterpenes did not. These findings were in marked contrast with generally accepted findings on the inhibitory effect of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate on terminal differentiation observed in other cell culture systems but consistent with the observations with some kinds of leukemia cells.