BB1-3, A TRANSGENIC HYBRID CELL-LINE WITH ERYTHROID AND MEGAKARYOCYTIC DIFFERENTIATION POTENTIAL THAT EXPRESSES HIGH-LEVELS OF HUMAN GAMMA-GLOBIN AND HUMAN BETA-GLOBIN
Am. Thomson et al., BB1-3, A TRANSGENIC HYBRID CELL-LINE WITH ERYTHROID AND MEGAKARYOCYTIC DIFFERENTIATION POTENTIAL THAT EXPRESSES HIGH-LEVELS OF HUMAN GAMMA-GLOBIN AND HUMAN BETA-GLOBIN, British Journal of Haematology, 102(4), 1998, pp. 976-985
We have characterized a murine hybrid cell line, Bb1-3, generated by t
he fusion of mouse primary erythroblasts with MEL cells, It proliferat
ed in serum-free medium and displayed a low level of spontaneous eryth
roid and megakaryocyte differentiation. Terminal erythroid differentia
tion could be induced with HMBA and DMSO and was enhanced by serum. Tr
eatment with phorbol esters resulted in a high proportion of megakaryo
cytes and the expression of megakaryocytic specific lineage markers. B
b1-3 cells contain a human beta-globin transgene that was expressed at
levels of 20-50% of the endogenous mouse globin genes. Initially, exp
ression was largely limited to the beta-globin gene but after adaptati
on to serum free growth, equal expression of both the human gamma- and
human beta-globin genes was observed. This cell line provides further
evidence that the differentiation potential of mouse erythroleukaemia
cells is not restricted to the erythroid lineage and should be useful
to study the mechanisms underlying both developmental globin gene reg
ulation and the terminal differentiation of bipotential erythroid/mega
karyocytic progenitor cells.