Effects of 2'-deoxycoformycin on HL-60 cell differentiation, adenosine deaminase, and oligoadenylate synthetase

There is evidence that 2'-deoxycoformycin (DCF) functions as a differentiating agent. We examined the effects of DCF on the differentiation of HL-60 cells, a standard model of leukemic cell differentiation. DCF did not induce morphologic or histochemical evidence of differentiation, nor did it interact with retinoic acid, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, or interferon-gamma in inducing differentiation. Furthermore, DCF and agents that differentiated HL-60 cells had opposing effects on adenosine deaminase and 2',5'-oligoadenylate synthetase activity.