The effect of antisense transcripts to bcr/abl fusion gene on differentiation of Philadelphia chromosome-positive leukemia cell lines

To investigate whether Ph chromosome-positive leukemia cell lines would undergo differentiation after the expression of endogenous ber/abl fusion gene was inhibited. The recombinant plasmids expressing antisense transcripts of ber/abl fusion gene were transfected into K 562 and BV 173 cell lines by lipofectin reagent. Southern and Northern blot hybridizations as well as nested RT-PCR analysis proved the integration and expression of exogenous DNA in target cells. Antisense transcripts of ber/abl reduced the level of endogenous ber/abl mRNA. No myeolomonocytic and erythroid differentiations were observed in cells with antisense transcripts to ber/abl Also no obvious occurred in the expression levels of Cd 10 and CD34 antigens in BV 173 cells and as well as CD13 and CD33 antigens in K 562 cells before and after transfection. It was suggested that proliferative inhibition did not always accompanying terminal differentiation.