A monoclonal antibody to human transferrin receptor which inhibits erythroid differentiation of human leukemic K-562 cells.

In this paper we demonstrate that the 42/6 monoclonal antibody to human transferrin receptor (1) inhibits erythroid differentiation of human leukemic K-562 cells without affecting cell proliferation. Erythroid induction was monitored by benzidine-staining of K-562 cell suspensions and hemoglobin accumulation by cellulose acetate gel electrophoresis of post-mitochondrial cell lysates (4,5). Our results suggest that erythroid differentiation and cell growth require a different number of transferrin receptors.