Human leukemia cell line K562 responds to erythroid-potentiating activity.

We report that erythroid-potentiating activity (EPA), known to stimulate the proliferation of normal human erythroid precursors in vitro, has a growth-promoting effect on human K562 erythroleukemia cells and Friend mouse erythroleukemia cells. Detailed studies were carried out using an EPA produced by a human T-lymphoblast line (Mo). Although EPA has not been purified to homogeneity, several observations indicate that the factor elaborated by Mo cells that stimulates erythroleukemia cell growth is the EPA molecule. The erythroleukemia growth factor cofractionates with EPA using gel exclusion chromatography, isoelectric focusing, and ion exchange chromatography. In addition, the activities exhibit similar kinetics of heat inactivation. A granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor also elaborated by Mo cells had no effect on the growth of the erythroleukemia cells. Other sources of EPA, such as peripheral blood leukocyte-conditioned medium, preparations from urine of anemic patients, and medium conditioned by a human monocyte-like cell line, stimulated erythroleukemia cell growth. Mouse sources of EPA (termed "burst-promoting activity") stimulated mouse but not human erythroleukemia cells. The availability of cell lines apparently responsive to EPA should prove useful for examining the mode of action of this regulator of erythropoiesis.