PMID: 9166836Jun 1, 1997Paper

Polyploidization and functional maturation are two distinct processes during megakaryocytic differentiation: involvement of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 in polyploidization.

Blood
J KikuchiY Miura

Abstract

The mechanism of megakaryocytic differentiation was investigated using human megakaryocytic leukemia cell line UT-7. Polyploidization of UT-7 cells was induced by the microtubule-depolymerizing agent, nocodazole, and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), but the effect was much more striking with nocodazole. By contrast, induction of cytoplasmic maturation, as judged by beta-thromboglobulin production and platelet factor 4 expression, was more prominent in TPA-treated cells than in nocodazole-treated cells. Nocodazole and TPA could act synergistically to increase ploidy and to enhance the expression of mature phenotypes. Human thrombopoietin induced functional maturation but not polyploidization in UT-7 cells and also acts synergistically with nocodazole. Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 was upregulated at the early stage of megakaryocytic differentiation, and overexpression of p21 resulted in an increase in ploidy of UT-7 cells. This suggests that p21 is implicated in polyploidization via suppression of CDC2 activity at mitosis. UT-7 but not HL-60 cells could incorporate [3H]thymidine in the presence of TPA, indicating the presence of megakaryocyte-specific licensing factor to allow DNA replication during differenti...Continue Reading

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Cell Checkpoints & Regulators

Cell cycle checkpoints are a series of complex checkpoint mechanisms that detect DNA abnormalities and ensure that DNA replication and repair are complete before cell division. They are primarily regulated by cyclins, cyclin-dependent kinases, and the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome. Here is the latest research.