Morphological and biochemical changes in a hematopoietic cell line induced by jacalin, a lectin derived from Artocarpus integrifolia.

Treatment of the human erythroleukemia cell line K562 with the galactose-binding lectin, jacalin, results in rapid and profound alterations in the morphology and biochemistry of the cells. Within minutes of lectin addition, the cells adhere to the plastic tissue culture surface, and within hours, the cells spread on the surface, acquiring a monocyte-like appearance. Jacalin treatment results in elevated expression of CD61 (integrin beta 3) and CD14, a monocyte-associated cell surface antigen. These results suggest that jacalin treatment of K562 cells triggers intracellular events that result in differentiation along the monocyte lineage.