K562 cells: a source for embryonic globin chains

A combination of DEAE-cellulose chromatography and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has been used to devise a method for generating large quantities of embryonic as well as fetal globin chains. The identity of these globin chains was further confirmed by their tryptic peptide mapping. This technique could, therefore, provide a reliable source for these polypeptides for both analytical and immunological purposes. Moreover, the study of human hemoglobin switching, particularly embryonic to fetal, has been greatly hampered by the absence of a suitable model. K562 cells, due to their potential for differential induction of embryonic and fetal hemoglobin synthesis, can thus be used for this purpose and the various hemoglobins produced can then be effectively monitored using this method.