Synthesis of eosinophil-associated enzymes in HL-60 promyelocytic leukemia cells

Eosinophils derived from HL-60 cells share many of the abnormalities of granule histochemistry and morphology frequently seen in eosinophils of patients with certain malignancies, especially those seen in acute myelomonocytic leukemia with abnormal eosinophils (FAB class M4eo). In order to understand the pathogenesis of these abnormalities, four enzymes, characteristic of the eosinophil, were studied in HL-60 promyelocytic leukemia cells at various stages of eosinophilic differentiation. Using biochemical and ultrahistochemical techniques, the following differences from normal eosinophil development were demonstrated. First, both myeloperoxidase and eosinophil peroxidase coexisted in the population of maturing HL-60 eosinophils. Second, the granules formed from the condensation of material in vacuoles which were derived from dilated segments of the endoplasmic reticulum; the role of the Golgi apparatus in processing of peroxidase appeared minimal. Third, low levels of lysophospholipase and arylsulfatase were present in the cells compared to normal eosinophils. Finally, crystallizations resembling precursor structures of Auer rods appeared in the granules of about 5% of the cells. These findings suggest that several disorders of the control of protein synthesis and processing exist in HL-60 eosinophils which may be responsible for the abnormal granule morphology and histochemistry.