Effects of calcitriol on nuclear transcription during human HL-60 promyelocytic leukemia cell differentiation

An HL-60 in vitro transcription assay was developed and used to monitor HL-60 human promyelocytic leukemia cell transcription during calcitriol-induced monocytic differentiation. Treatment of cells with calcitriol (50 nM) for 96 h produced a 48% reduction in total DNA-dependent RNA polymerase activity with a corresponding reduction in alpha-amanitin-sensitive (RNA polymerase II) activity. Nuclei isolated from cells treated with the less efficacious vitamin D analogues, 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, and 1 alpha-hydroxyvitamin D3, did not exhibit nuclear transcription that was significantly different from control nuclei. Transcription in nuclei isolated from calcitriol-treated cells was decreased by 40 to 50% concomitant with monocytic differentiation, as assayed by acquisition of nitroblue tetrazolium reducing activity. Maximal decrease in transcription was achieved by 45 h postinduction, whereas expression of nitroblue tetrazolium reducing activity peaked at approximately 70 h, and decreased DNA synthesis was evident by 48 h. These observations suggest that calcitriol induction of HL-60 differentiation results in monocytes with reduced requirements for gene transcription and that transcription changes accompany expression of nitroblue tetrazolium reducing activity.