Analyzing the Impact of Pan- and Class-Specific HDACi on Differentiation-Associated Factors

The differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells into mature blood cells is a highly ordered process and dysregulation of this process can lead to leukemogenesis. Agents that are used to cure acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) can induce differentiation and/or apoptosis. Here, we describe how effects of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) on APL cell differentiation can be evaluated by immunoblotting and by flow cytometry. We show how the levels of differentiation-associated transcription factors of the CCAAT enhancer binding protein (C/EBP) family can be determined by Western blot and we explain how the cell surface expression of the leukocyte surface antigen CD11b can be measured by flow cytometry.