HRF20/CD59 complement regulatory protein expression is phenotype-dependent and inducible by the hypomethylating agent 5-azacytidine on Burkitt's lymphoma cell lines.

We studied the expression of the 20-kDa homologous restriction factor (CD59/HRF20), a complement regulatory protein, on two subsets of blood derived B cells and on Burkitt's lymphoma lines. Both low-density (activated) and high-density (resting) B cell populations expressed high levels of CD59. CD59 was detectable, however, only on a minority of cells or not at all on three Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-negative BL lines (BL41, BL28 and DG75) and on clones of an EBV-positive BL line (Mutu) that phenotypically resembled resting B lymphocytes. On the other hand, CD59 was detected at high or medium levels on Mutu cells which had a lymphoblastoid cell-like phenotype. Expression of CD59 was upregulated by 5-azacytidine, a drug inhibiting cytosine methylation, on CD59-negative cell lines. Induction was accompanied by a partial hypomethylation in the 5' region of CD59 coding sequences.