Purification and characterization of DNA methylase from HL-60 cells

A solid leukemia sarcoma has been successfully developed after subcutaneous inoculation of the cultured human promyelocytic leukemia cells (HL-60 cells) into nude mice. The solid leukemia sarcoma is a more plentiful source than the cultured cells for enzymatic study and its growing environment is closer to that of the human body than the cultured cells. We established an efficient procedure of purifying HL-60 cells DNA methylase which includes: disruption of HL-60 cells by homogenization and sonication, removing the cell fragments and cellular particles by centrifuge and ultracentrifuge (105,000 g); removing endogenous DNA by streptomycin sulfate, salting out by (NH4)2SO4, ion exchange chromatography on DEAE-cellulose (DE-52), gel filtration over Sephadex G-100 column. The DNA methylase from HL-60 cells has been purified 204 fold by this procedure. The purified enzyme shows a single-band on PG-PAGE. A 479-kD molecular weight of this enzyme is measured by PG-PAGE. The enzyme properties of HL-60 DNA methylase are also studied.