Induction of globin gene expression in cultured erythroleukemia cells by butyric acid

Butyric acid induces erythroid differentiation of cultured Friend leukemia cells when added to the culture medium. A high level of globin messenger RNA (mRNA) was detected in Friend leukemia cells treated with butyric acid by a liquid hybridization method using radioactive DNA complementary to reticulocyte globin mRNA. The content of globin mRNA molecules induced in the cytoplasm of the butyric acid-treated Friend leukemia cells paralleled the hemoglobin content determined by the benzidine staining method. Therefore, this hemoglobin synthesis may be most reasonably explained in terms of transcriptional activation of globin genes, as previously proposed in the case of dimethylsulfoxide, another inducer of erythroid differentiation. Induced accumulation of globin mRNA in the nuclei also supports this interpretation.