Abstract

This work compares effect of histondeacetylase inhibitor, valproic acid (VA), on proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis induction in two human leukemic cell lines: HL-60 (human promyleocytic leukemia, p53 negative) and MOLT-4 (human T-lymphocyte leukemia, p53 wild type). Incubation with VA caused decrease in percentage of cells in S phase of cell cycle. The decrease was more intensive in HL-60 cells, where the cells in S phase were absent 6 days after the beginning of incubation with VA (4 mmol/l). 3-day-long incubation of HL-60 cells with 4 mmol/l VA caused differentiation of these cells, marked by increase in CD11b and co-stimulatory/adhesion molecule CD86, and induction of a significant apoptosis. Annexin V positive cells lost the CD11b antigen. 3-day-long incubation of MOLT-4 cells with VA (1-2 mmol/l) inhibited proliferation and decreased percentage of cells in S phase of the cell cycle. 90% of MOLT-4 cells are CD7 positive. This CD7 positivity is not changed during apoptosis induction (detected as Annexin V positivity). On the other hand, CD4 marker expression decreases after incubation with 1-2 mmol/l VA, but during apoptosis induction by 4 mmol/l VA, most of the apoptotic Annexin V positive cells were also CD4 positive. Using a clonogenic survival assay EC(50) for 3-day-long incubation with VA was determined. For HL-60 cells, the established EC(50) was 1.84 mmol/l, for MOLT-4 cells it was 1.76 mmol/l. Ability of VA to induce differentiation in HL-60 cells thus does not affect final cell killing. However, the elimination of the cells was considerably affected by presence of hematopoietic growth factors. 14-day-long incubation of HL-60 cells with VA in conditioned medium (source of IL-3, SCF, G-CSF) caused increase in EC(50) to 4 mmol/l, while in MOLT-4 cells (cultivation without conditioned medium), the EC(50) decreased to 0.63 mmol/l.