Induction of eosinophilic granules, nonspecific esterase activity and CD14 expression in the human eosinophilic leukemia cell line, EOL-1.

We examined the expression of eosinophilic granules, esterase activity and CD14 in a human eosinophilic cell line, EoL-1. Unstimulated EoL-1 cells were weakly positive for nonspecific esterase, but negative for surface CD14, and contained a few eosinophilic granule-positive cells. A combination of G-CSF and TNF-alpha increased the eosinophilic granule-containing cells, but failed to increase esterase activity or CD14 expression. IFN-gamma alone or in combination with TNF-alpha enhanced nonspecific esterase activity but failed to induce CD14 expression or increase eosinophilic granule-containing cells. dbcAMP increased eosinophilic granule-containing cells, nonspecific esterase activity and CD14 expression. Specific esterase activity was not detected in any circumstances. EoL-1 cells fractionated by density gradients or CD14 expression showed nonspecific esterase activity and CD14 expression in both the eosinophilic granule-positive and negative cell populations. Forskolin and butyrate had a synergistic effect on CD14 induction and protein kinase A was suggested to play a role in dbcAMP-induced CD14 expression. A protein kinase C activator, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, did not increase eosinophilic granules, nonspecific esterase activity or CD14 expression in EoL-1 cells. The results show that EoL-1 cells can express nonspecific esterase and CD14, but the expression is not necessarily restricted to cells which have differentiated into the monocyte/macrophage lineage.