Genetic evidence for an additional factor required for erythropoietin-induced signal transduction

Erythropoietin (EPO) and its receptor (EPOR) are required for the developme nt of mature erythrocytes. After binding of ligand, the EPOR activates a va riety of signaling pathways that ultimately control cellular proliferation, survival, and specific gene expression. Although erythroid progenitors app ear to be the principal EPO-responsive cell type in vivo due to the restric ted expression of the EPOR, many growth factor-dependent cell lines express ing the EPOR can respond to EPO by activating many or all of these pathways . In the present study, we have identified a cellular context (the interleu kin-2 [IL-2]-dependent HT-2 line) in which the EPO stimulation of the EPOR fails to support cellular proliferation, STAT-5 induction, or MAPK activati on, despite efficient phosphorylation of the EPOR and JAK2 and inhibition o f apoptosis after withdrawal of IL-2. Interestingly, when we fused HT-2 cel ls expressing the EPOR with Ba/F3 cells in a complementation assay, the res ulting hybridomas proliferated and potently activated STAT-5 and MAPK in re sponse to EPO. These data indicate that an unidentified cellular factor is needed to mediate signaling by the EPOR. Moreover, Ba/F3 cells apparently e xpress this factor(s) and somatic fusions can, therefore, confer EPO respon siveness to HT-2 cells that lack this factor. (C) 1999 by The American Soci ety of Hematology.