A novel factor-dependent human myelodysplastic cell line, MDS92, contains haemopoietic cells of several lineages

A novel long-term cultured interleukin (IL)-3-dependent human myelodysplastic cell line, MDS92, was shown to contain several myeloid-lineage cells such as neutrophils, macrophages, eosinophils, and a small number of megakaryocyte-lineage cells. Therefore this cell line possesses at least bipotential characteristics of myeloid- and megakaryocyte-lineages. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor clearly promoted the neutrophil alkaline phosphatase activity of MDS92 cells. To the contrary, the incidence and growth of CD41-positive cells were hardly affected by the addition of IL-6, IL-11, c-mpl ligand (thrombopoietin, TPO) or erythropoietin. TPO slightly supported the growth of CD34-positive cell fraction, but not CD41-positive cell fraction of MDS92 cells in combination with IL-3 or Steel factor. This cell line will be a useful tool for the study of MDS stem cells, but the mechanism of commitment of differentiation in MDS stem cells remains unknown.