Pathways related to PMA-differentiated THP1 human monocytic leukemia cells revealed by RNA-Seq

Previous analyses have reported that the human monocytic cell line THP1 can be differentiated into cells with macrophage-like characteristics by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). However, little is known about the mechanism responsible for regulating this differentiation process. Here, we performed high-throughput RNA-Seq analysis to investigate the genes differently expressed in THP1 cells treated with and without PMA and examined those that may be responsible for the PMA-induced differentiation of monocytes into macrophages. We found 3,000 genes to be differentially expressed after PMA treatment. Gene ontology analysis revealed that genes related to cellular processes and regulation of biological processes were significantly enriched. KEGG analysis also demonstrated that the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were significantly enriched in the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and phagosome pathway. Importantly, we reveal an important role of the PI3K/AKT pathway in PMA-induced THP1 cell differentiation. The identified DEGs and pathways may facilitate further study of the detailed molecular mechanisms of THP1 differentiation. Thus, our results provide numerous potential therapeutic targets for modulation of the differentiation of this disease.