ESTABLISHMENT AND CHARACTERIZATION OF A NEW ERYTHROPOIETIN-DEPENDENT ACUTE MYELOID-LEUKEMIA CELL-LINE, AS-E2

We have established an erythropoietin-dependent human leukemia cell li ne, AS-E2, from a patient with acute myeloid leukemia. These cells hav e many characteristics of late erythroid progenitor cells, they are po sitive for CD36, Glycophorin A, and CD71 but negative for CD41, and po sitive for benzidine and PAS staining, These cells express GATA-1 and have low affinity erythropoietin (EPO) receptor on their surface. Inte restingly, AS-ES cells are strictly dependent on EPO for their growth and survival; other cytokines including GM-CSF, stem cell factor, or I L-3 cannot support the growth of this cell line. These features are si milar to late erythroid lineage cells, like normal BFU-E or CFU-E, and we have demonstrated that EPO stimulation induces the tyrosine phosph orylation of several proteins in AS-E2 cells including the EPO recepto r and JAK2 kinase. This new cell line is a useful reagent to study bio logical and molecular events during the late stages of erythropoiesis, and to understand transforming events in human erythroid cells.