Comparative responsiveness of HL-60, HL-60R, and HL-60R+ (LRARSN) cells to retinoic acid, calcitriol, 9 cis-retinoic acid, and sodium butyrate.

In HL-60 cells, retinoic acid (RA) and 9 cis-RA induce granulocytic differentiation, and calcitriol and sodium butyrate induce monocytic differentiation. To study the role of retinoid resistance on the response to these agents, we investigated their effects in HL-60 cells, retinoid-resistant HL-60R cells, and HL-60R+ cells in which retinoid sensitivity has been restored. In HL-60 cells, cathepsin D (ctsd) mRNA levels are increased by these agents and by cholera toxin after pretreatment with each agent. Calcitriol, 9 cis-RA, and sodium butyrate increase interleukin-8 (IL-8) mRNA expression, and pretreatment with these agents or RA potentiates the stimulation of IL-8 by phorbol ester (TPA). Pretreatment of HL-60 cells with all of the agents confers inducibility of cathepsin L (ctsl) mRNA by TPA in previously unresponsive cells. In HL-60R cells, none of the agents alone or in combination significantly enhances the expression of the ctsd, IL-8, or ctsl mRNAs. Retinoid stimulation (either alone or in combination with the other agents) of the three mRNAs is partially restored in the HL-60R+ cells. Calcitriol does not alter the expression of any of these mRNAs, and only the stimulation of IL-8 mRNA by sodium butyrate is recovered. Treatment with all of the agents inhibits proliferation and stimulates differentiation of the HL-60 cells. RA and calcitriol are unable to inhibit proliferation of the HL-60R cells, whereas only calcitriol fails to inhibit proliferation of the HL-60R+ cells. None of the agents induces differentiation in either the HL-60R or HL-60R+ cells. Therefore, the mutation of the RA receptor alpha is insufficient to account for the altered responses of the HL-60R cells, and there are likely defects in other signaling pathways in these cells. These cells may prove useful in examining the mechanism of cross-resistance between various differentiating agents.