Epigenetically induced changes in nuclear textural patterns and gelatinase expression in human fibrosarcoma cells.

OBJECTIVE: Chromatin texture patterns of tumour cell nuclei can serve as cancer biomarkers, either to define diagnostic classifications or to obtain relevant prognostic information, in a large number of human tumours. Epigenetic mechanisms, mainly DNA methylation and histone post-translational modification, have been shown to influence chromatin packing states, and therefore nuclear texture. The aim of this study was to analyse effects of these two mechanisms on chromatin texture, and also on correlation with gelatinase expression, in human fibrosarcoma tumour cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We investigated effects of DNA hypomethylating agent 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-azadC) and histone deacetylase inhibitor trichostatin A (TSA) on nuclear textural characteristics of human HT1080 fibrosarcoma cells, evaluated by image cytometry, and expression of gelatinases MMP-2 and MMP-9, two metalloproteinases implicated in cancer progression and metastasis. RESULTS: 5-azadC induced significant variation in chromatin higher order organization, particularly chromatin decondensation, associated with reduction in global DNA methylation, concomitantly with increase in MMP-9, and to a lesser extent, MMP-2 expression. TSA alone did not have any effect on HT1080 cells, but exhibited differential activity when added to cells treated with 5-azadC. When treated with both drugs, nuclei had higher texture abnormalities. In this setting, reduction in MMP-9 expression was observed, whereas MMP-2 expression remained unaffected. CONCLUSIONS: These data show that hypomethylating drug 5-azadC and histone deacetylase inhibitor TSA were able to induce modulation of higher order chromatin organization and gelatinase expression in human HT1080 fibrosarcoma cells.

The histone deacetylase inhibitor trichostatin A downregulates human MDR1 (ABCB1) gene expression by a transcription-dependent mechanism in a drug-resistant small cell lung carcinoma cell line model.

Tumour drug-resistant ABCB1 gene expression is regulated at the chromatin level through epigenetic mechanisms. We examined the effects of the histone deacetylase inhibitor trichostatin A (TSA) on ABCB1 gene expression in small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) drug-sensitive (H69WT) or etoposide-resistant (H69VP) cells. We found that TSA induced an increase in ABCB1 expression in drug-sensitive cells, but strongly decreased it in drug-resistant cells. These up- and downregulations occurred at the transcriptional level. Protein synthesis inhibition reduced these modulations, but did not completely suppress them. Differential temporal patterns of histone acetylation were observed at the ABCB1 promoter: increase in H4 acetylation in both cell lines, but different H3 acetylation with a progressive increase in H69WT cells but a transient one in H69VP cells. ABCB1 regulations were not related with the methylation status of the promoter -50GC, -110GC, and Inr sites, and did not result in further changes to these methylation profiles. Trichostatin A treatment did not modify MBD1 binding to the ABCB1 promoter and similarly increased PCAF binding in both H69 cell lines. Our results suggest that in H69 drug-resistant SCLC cell line TSA induces downregulation of ABCB1 expression through a transcriptional mechanism, independently of promoter methylation, and MBD1 or PCAF recruitment.

Microspectrofluorometry of autofluorescence emission from human leukemic living cells under oxidative stress.

Image cytometry was applied to study the intracellular localization of autofluorescence and the influence of an oxidative stress on this emission. K562 erythroleukemia cancer cells were analyzed with a microspectrofluorometer, coupled with a Argon laser (Ar+) (363 nm). From each cell, 15 x 15 emission spectra were recorded in the 400-600 nm spectral range to generate a spectral image of autofluorescence. The intracellular locations of the autofluorescence emission and of the specific mitochondrial probe rhodamine 123 (R123) were matched. Under a 363 nm excitation, all spectra from K562 cells show equivalent profiles with a 455 nm maximum emission, near of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-(Phosphate) solution (NAD(P)H) (465 nm maximum emission). The spatial distribution of autofluorescence is homogeneous and different from the one of R123. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) (200 microM) and menadione (Men) (5 microM) induce a weak spectral change and a decrease in autofluorescence intensity, down to 40% of the initial emission. Doxorubicin (Dox) induces a dose-dependent decrease in autofluorescence emission and a release of intracellular free radicals. When cells were pre-treated 1 h with 1 mM glutathione (GSH), Dox induces a lower free radicals release, no significant variation of autofluorescence intensity and a lower growth inhibitory effect. Images cytometry of autofluorescence suggest that the intracellular NAD(P)H would not be restricted to mitochondrial compartments. The release of free radicals was associated with a decrease in autofluorescence intensity, mainly attributed to NAD(P)H oxidation both inside and outside mitochondria.

Clinical applications of image cytometry to human tumour analysis.

Image cytometry (ICM) is widely applied to the automated screening, the detection, the diagnosis, the classification, the prognosis and the therapeutic follow-up of different types of cancers (breast, bladder, cervix,...). This review describes the analysis methods and the applications of nuclear image analysis, the determination of DNA content and the analysis of morphometry and of nuclear texture. DNA content analysis can contribute to a prognostic information in addition to other prognostic factors for breast, renal and prostate cancers. For ovarian cancer, aneuploidy seems to be related to prognosis. Bladder tumours with DNA aneuploidy were frequently of high malignancy while ploidy was significantly correlated to relapse risk. For digestive cancers, patients presenting DNA diploid tumours show a better survival than patients with aneuploid ones. Morphometry seems to be a more important criterion than other conventional prognostic factors of invasive breast and digestive carcinomas. A differential diagnosis between normal and neoplastic thyroids is more precise when based on a quantitative evaluation of texture associated to morphometry. Textural parameters permit the discrimination of two populations of patients having a different prognosis and could thus be an aid for prognosis in prostatic cancers. Morphonuclear parameters contribute to separate low and high grade bladder carcinomas. Although ICM was frequently reported, results from the reported examples were not always obvious. In conclusion, the measurements obtained with ICM could be helpful for a decision in several cancers but could not be a substitute for the classical approach of the pathologist.

Nuclear DNA content and chromatin pattern of rat rhabdomyosarcoma cell sublines with different metastatic potentials.

There is a constant need of features able to characterize potentially metastatic cells among the heterogeneous cell subpopulations which constitute a tumor. Image cytometry of metastatic tumor cells give rise to variable results, partly because of a heterogeneous origin of cells, or potential drug effects. The aim of this work was to characterize nuclear changes observed in metastatic cell clones issued in vitro from the same parental cell population The nuclear phenotypes of 6 cell sublines isolated from a rat rhabdomyosarcoma cell line and differing in their metastatic ability were evaluated by image cytometry on Feulgen-stained preparations. Densitometric [5], geometric [3] and textural [9] features were computed from each nuclear image. For each cell subline, a metastatic score, ranging from 0 to 10, was calculated on the basis of in vivo invasivity data, by measuring the number of pulmonary metastases observed after s.c. graft of tumor cells in rats. Data obtained were compared to karyotype, growth characteristics, and oncogene expressions of cell lines. The nuclear DNA content, the chromosome numbers, the cell sublines doubling times, and the distribution of cells within the cell cycle appear unrelated with this score. On the contrary, increase in metastatic ability is accompanied by changes in chromatin pattern as assessed by textural features. Progressive increase in chromatin condensation can be observed in cell sublines with increasing metastatic score. These results were confirmed by an unsupervised multivariate partitioning of rhabdomyosarcoma cells which identified two separate subsets whose distributions within the analyzed cell lines correlate with their metastatic ability. These data suggest that, in rat rhabdomyosarcoma cell sublines, metastatic ability could be associated with nuclear morphological changes at the level of chromatin texture.

Nuclear chromatin texture and sensitivity to DNase I in human leukaemic CEM cells incubated with nanomolar okadaic acid.

It is now known that the analysis of chromatin texture can be used in oncology as a sensitive detection method, either to define diagnostic classifications or to locate a lesion along a defined trend curve. However, the functional significance of these variations in textural features remains sometimes unclear. Several drugs have been shown to be able to modulate chromatin structure. Among them, the phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid at low concentration can increase accessibility to DNA in chromatin of carcinoma cells. This paper demonstrates that short exposures (0-3 h) to a 10-nM dose of okadaic acid induced an increased sensitivity to DNase I digestion in human CEM leukaemic cell nuclei and that this sensitization was associated to variations of nuclear texture characteristics, as evaluated by image cytometry. CEM cells treated with okadaic acid for 0-3h displayed changes in chromatin supraorganization with a more homogeneous and fine chromatin texture, as compared to control cells. This suggests that the appearance of an open configuration of chromatin structure as evaluated by biochemical methods corresponds to a more decondensed texture of nuclei measured by image cytometry. Longer exposures (6-24h) of CEM cells to 10 nM okadaic acid lead to apoptosis. As reported previously for camptothecin-treated HL60 cells, okadaic acid-treated CEM cells display biphasic nuclear chromatin texture changes, i.e. a decondensation phase followed by the appearance of typical apoptotic cells with a smaller nuclear area and a highly condensed chromatin. Finally, using the multidrug-resistant CEM-VLB cell line, it was confirmed that these multidrug-resistant cells also display cross-resistance to okadaic acid, as this compound was unable to induce either increased DNase I sensitivity, apoptosis, or altered nuclear texture in this particular cell line.

Textural analysis of nuclear mitotic apparatus antigen (NuMA) spatial distribution in interphase nuclei from human drug-resistant CEM lymphoblasts.

In tumour cell lines, the resistance of cancer cells to a variety of structurally unrelated chemotherapeutic drugs is termed multidrug-resistance or MDR. We reported previously [6] that MDR leukemic cells displayed nuclear texture changes, as assessed by image cytometry. The nature of these changes remained uncertain but they could be associated with alterations of the nuclear matrix which could serve an important role in DNA organization and chromatin structure. Therefore, we have compared the textural features observed in G0/G1 nuclei from human leukemic CEM cells and their MDR variant CEM-VLB, after staining of either DNA by Feulgen method or nuclear matrix by immunodetection of NuMA antigen on DNase treated samples. Chromatin or NuMA distributions within the nucleus were evaluated by image cytometry. Changes in textural parameters indicate that modifications of NuMA distribution observed in MDR cells are parallel to those observed at the whole chromatin level (i.e., a more decondensed and coarse texture with increase of Energy and Long-run sections and decrease of Contrast and Short-run sections). Moreover, Optical Densities measurements indicate that MDR cells seem to contain less NuMA, a datum confirmed by immunoblotting of nuclear proteins. In conclusion, chromatin changes observed by image cytometry in drug-resistant human leukemic CEM cells appear associated with modifications of the nuclear matrix structure.

Factors contributing to the resistance to apoptosis induced by topoisomerase I inhibitors in vincristine resistant cells.

The activity of numerous antineoplasic drugs is correlated with their capacity to induce the apoptotic process. In this study, apoptosis induced by the topoisomerase I (Topo I) inhibitors camptothecin (CPT) and the CPT-11 active metabolite SN-38 was evaluated on HL-60 cells and their multidrug resistant variant HL-60-Vincristine cells. Both CPT and SN-38 induced high levels of apoptosis in sensitive cells but very low levels in MDR cells. The role of the different genes and proteins usually implicated in the drug resistance phenomenon was studied. The Pgp independence of the two drugs was suggested by the lack of modulation of anti-Topo I effects with verapamil. Moreover CPT and SN-38 induced a strong decrease of mdr1 mRNA in MDR treated cells. MRP mRNA expression was very low in drug sensitive and resistant cells and decreased during treatments in both cell lines. However, MRP protein was not detected in control and MDR cells suggesting that this pump was probably not implicated in this resistance phenomenon. Topo I and BCL-2 proteins displayed a higher expression in MDR cells but only Topo I proteins decreased during treatments in the two cell lines. These data suggest that in addition to the classical multidrug resistance phenotype, dysregulation of proteins associated with DNA replication and apoptotic process could contribute to acquired resistance to a large panel of drugs, including those which are not considered as substrates for Pgp.

Enhancement of all-trans-retinoic acid efficiency in granulocytic differentiation of HL-60 cells by incorporation into low density lipoprotein.

All-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) has been proven to lead to complete remission of acute promyelocytic leukemia by inducing differentiation into granulocytes except when an acquired resistance occurred. High levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor in cancer cells suggested the use of ATRA incorporated into LDL. 50% of HL-60 cell differentiation were obtained with 5 nmoles/l of ATRA-LDL compared to 150 moles/l of ATRA. Maximal differentiation (80%) was reached at 25 nmoles/l and 1,000 nmoles/l respectively. This higher efficiency suggests the involvement of LDL receptor in ATRA-LDL internalization and/or the protection of the drug, from eventual catabolism, by LDL particles.

Resistance to apoptosis induced by topoisomerase I inhibitors in multidrug-resistant HL60 leukemic cells.

The induction of apoptosis by topoisomerase I inhibitors, camptothecin and SN38, was evaluated in drug-sensitive HL60 and multidrug-resistant (MDR) HL60-Vinc leukemic cells. MDR cells displayed a partial resistance to these apoptotic stimuli and this phenomenon was not modulated by verapamil. Basal free calcium concentrations were similar in both cell sublines and were not modified during treatment. Cytoplasmic pH was more acidic in sensitive cells than in MDR cells. Moreover, a significant acidification was obtained during the early stage of apoptosis in sensitive HL60 cells only. Basal Bcl-2 protein expression was found to be greater in MDR than in sensitive cells and was not modulated by apoptosis inducers. This increase of Bcl-2 in MDR cells could be due to the selection process as vincristine enhances Bcl-2 phosphorylation and expression in HL60 sensitive cells. MDR HL60-Vincristine cells therefore display a resistance to apoptosis induced by non-MDR drugs, possibly by Bcl-2 overexpression and inability of these drugs to mediate intracellular pH changes in these drug-resistant cells.

P53 protein expression in human multidrug-resistant CEM lymphoblasts.

A role for p53 in the regulation of multidrug-resistance (MDR) has been postulated as wild-type p53 suppresses and mutant p53 specifically activates the mdr1 promoter. Moreover, changes in p53 expression and/or functions could be implicated in drug resistance. As the parental lymphoblastic CCRF-CEM cell line has been described as expressing a mutated form of p53, we have examined p53 and mdm2 protein levels in the human multidrug-resistant CEM-VLB cell line variant. These drug-resistant CEM-VLB cells, which have increased expressions of mdr1 and P-glycoprotein, displayed p53 and mdm2 protein expressions similar to those observed in their sensitive CCRF-CEM counterparts. Treatment of these drug-resistant cells with non-toxic doses of the resistance-inducing drug vinblastin induced a strong increase in p53 protein and mRNA but was ineffective on mdm2 protein expression, or mdr1 mRNA expression. These data indicate that mutant p53 protein was not overexpressed in these MDR cells. This overexpression could be induced by microtubule-active drug treatment, but, as previously observed in other sensitive cell lines, mutant p53 from these MDR cells was unable to positively regulate mdm2 gene product expression.

Image cytometry of early nuclear events during apoptosis induced by camptothecin in HL-60 leukemic cells.

The nuclear morphological alterations occurring during apoptosis induced in human HL-60 cells by camptothecin were analyzed quantitatively by image cytometry. Two separate phases were identified during the apoptotic process. The first phase, observed between 0-2 h of incubation, consisted in the appearance of cells with an apparently decondensed chromatin. This phenomenon was blocked by the inhibitors of DNA fragmentation, TLCK and H7. In contrast, staurosporine and cytochalasin B, which inhibit apoptosis without any effect on DNA fragmentation in this system, did not prevent this morphological change. The second phase, observed after 3 h of culture, corresponded to the appearance of cells with very homogeneous and condensed chromatin. This phenomenon correlated with the detection of typical apoptotic cells with fragmented nuclei and was inhibited by all drugs (TLCK, H7, staurosporine, and cytochalasin B). These observations suggest that image cytometry allows the detection of subvisual microscopic events within the first hour after the induction of an apoptotic process and that the dissection of this process into several different phases might be associated with DNA fragmentation.

Analysis of DNA content in multidrug-resistant cells by image and flow cytometry.

Nuclear DNA content was assessed in multidrug-resistant (MDR) cells by image and flow cytometry. Two human MDR cell lines (K562-Dox and CEM-VLB) obtained by in vitro drug selection and overexpressing mdr1 gene were compared to their respective sensitive counterparts (K562 and CCRF-CEM) and to the MDR hamster LR73-R cell line obtained by transfection of mouse mdr1 cDNA. Both cell lines obtained by selection displayed a decreased DNA content, as measured by image cytometry after Feulgen staining, or by flow cytometry after staining with propidium iodide, ethidium bromide, or Hoechst 33342. This decrease was not accompanied by changes in cell cycle phase distribution of cells. Moreover, image cytometry of cells stained after various hydrolysis times in 5 M HCl indicated that MDR cells displayed the same hydrolysis kinetics and sensitivity as drug-sensitive cells with a well-preserved stoichiometry of the Feulgen reaction. LR73-R cells transfected with mdr1 cDNA exhibited only a very limited change in propidium iodide staining as compared with sensitive LR73 cells, suggesting that mdr1 gene overexpression alone could not account for the alterations in DNA content observed in the selected MDR cells.

Effects of the anticancer agent vinorelbine on endothelial cell permeability and tissue-factor production in man.

Because antineoplastic drugs could increase endothelial blood barrier permeability and thrombotic diseases have been described as a complication of treatments with vinca alkaloids, the effect of a therapeutic dose (10(-8) M) of vinorelbine on transendothelial permeability was analysed by measuring the movement of albumin across a monolayer of human venous endothelial cells. Induction of procoagulant activity was assessed by evaluation of tissue-factor activity in cell lysates. Vinorelbine increased the permeability of endothelial cells after 3 h of culture, as observed with thrombin. In addition, thrombin induced strong tissue-factor activity, a phenomenon not observed after vinorelbine treatment. These data suggest that vinorelbine could modulate endothelial barrier permeability. This effect is not linked to an increase in tissue-factor activity, suggesting that their induction could operate through separate pathways.

Nuclear DNA content and chromatin texture in multidrug-resistant human leukemic cell lines.

Nuclear morphological alterations associated with multidrug resistance (MDR) were evaluated by image cytometry in various human leukemic cell sub-lines: 3 cell lines with P-gp-mediated resistance (CEM-VLB, HL60/Vinc, K562-Dox), the non-Pgp-mediated MDR HL60/AR leukemic cell line with over-expression of MRP, and the at-MDR CEM-VMI leukemic cell line with alteration of topoisomerase II. All these MDR cell sub-lines were obtained by drug selection and were compared with their sensitive counterparts and with the hamster LR73-R cell line obtained by transfection of mouse mdrl cDNA. All MDR cell sub-lines obtained by drug selection displayed decreased DNA Feulgen stainability as compared with their respective sensitive parental cell line, a phenomenon not observed in the transfected LR73-R cells. Nuclear texture analysis on G0/G1-selected cell nuclei revealed 2 types of textural phenotype. The first phenotype was characterized by chromatin decondensation with small but compact chromatin clumps, and was observed in drug-selected P-gp-mediated MDR cells (CEM-VLB, HL60-Vinc, K562-Dox) and in the non-P-gp-mediated MDR HL60/AR cell line. The second phenotype was characterized by a condensed and homogeneous chromatin pattern, and was observed in the at-MDR CEM-VMI cell line. LR73-R cells transfected with mdrl cDNA did not display any significant changes in textural phenotype as compared with sensitive LR73 cells, suggesting that P-gp over-expression alone cannot account for the cytological modifications observed in MDR cells. These data suggest that multidrug resistance could be associated with specific nuclear morphological changes which appeared to be a consequence of alterations occurring during selection by cytotoxic drugs rather than of P-gp over-expression.

Characteristics of four Friend leukemia cell sublines resistant to adriamycin.

Resistance of Friend murine erythroleukemia cells was induced or selected by continuous stepwise exposure to adriamycin (ADM). The resistance index (R.I.) varied with different "mdr type" drugs, even when the compounds were closely related as ADM and daunorubicin (DNR). The cell uptake of anthracycline, evaluated by flow cytometry (FCM), was better correlated with the R.I. than the HPLC assessment. The quantitative cytology showed nuclear changes (size and color distribution); all the modifications were in part dependent on the degree of resistance. This study showed that the graded resistant sublines differed in their resistant phenotypes apart from their different degree of resistance.

[Quantitative cytological study of the activity of a new resistance modulator, S 9788, on human leukemic cells using multiparametric image analysis]. / Etude cytologique quantitative de l'activité d'un nouvel agent modulateur de la résistance, le S 9788, sur des cellules leucémiques humaines par analyse d'image multiparamétrique.

The triazinoaminopiperidine derivative S 9788 is a new multidrug resistance modulator. The modulating activity of S 9788, comparatively to those of verapamil and the combination of S 9788 and verapamil, was demonstrated on the human leukemic T cell line CCRF-CEM resistant (about 6000 fold) to vinblastine using Microculture Tetrazolium Assay. S 9788 at 5 microM, strongly potentialized the cytotoxic activity of vinblastine but the reversion of resistance remained partial. Verapamil and the combination S 9788-verapamil, tested at equimolar concentrations, were respectively 1000 and two times less active than S 9788 alone. The impact of S 9788, verapamil and their combination on the cytological modifications bound to vinblastine resistance of CEM cells was evaluated by multiparametric quantitative cytological analysis (21 nuclear parameters measured) using a SAMBA 2005 cell image processor. Treatments with the different modulators, in absence or in presence of vinblastine, had no significant effects on the morphology of sensitive CEM cells. On vinblastine resistant CEM cells, S 9788 and the combination S 9788-verapamil induced significant cytological modifications. These modifications were characterized by a partial reversion of some parameters (more specifically nuclear texture parameters) to values close to those observed in parental sensitive cells and permitted an automatic classification of these treated resistant cells in cells of "sensitive" type with a percentage superior to 50%. In conclusion, the reversion of resistance induced by S 9788 on CEM cells resistant to vinblastine does not fit only with a biological phenomenon like the efflux of cytotoxic agents but is associated with a set of cellular alterations involved in multidrug resistance.

Quantitative morphological assessment of erythroblastic differentiation induced, in vitro, in human K562 leukemic cells.

K562 human leukemia cell line undergoes in vitro terminal differentiation towards the erythroid pathway following treatments with appropriate chemical agents including aclacinomycin, fagaronine and hemin. These three drugs induced a different expression of phenotypic and functional characters associated with differentiation. The morphological characteristics of the differentiation sequences elicited by these agents were evaluated by image analysis using a SAMBA 200 cell image processor. Multivariate statistical analyses of morphological data revealed that only aclacinomycin was able to induce significant modifications of the morphological parameters similar to those observed during the maturation of normal bone-marrow erythroblastic cells. These data correlate with the higher inductive potency of aclacinomycin as compared to hemin or fagaronine and suggest that quantitative cytology may be a useful adjunct to conventional tests for the selection of new drugs with differentiating potential.

Nucleus image analysis as a possible prognostic tool in grading breast cancer.

The WHO grading system for breast cancer is based on the subjective, poorly reproducible evaluation of two cytological criteria (Mitotic Activity: MA and Nuclear Pleiomorphism: NP) and one histological criterion (Tubular Differentiation: TD). In order to improve the reproducibility of the assessment of tumour differentiation, we have looked for nuclear cytophotometric parameters (densitometry, geometry and texture) that could be measured objectively on smears stained by the Feulgen method. Tumour cell populations from 36 breast cancers were investigated by nuclear image analysis according to NP scores, MA scores, TD scores (ie for each variable, three categories), WHO total scores (3 to 9 or 7 categories) and WHO grades (grade I: 13 patients, whereas 13 and 10 for grade II and III respectively). Discrimination between each score or grade could be displayed by the average profiles of the nuclear cytophotometric parameters provided by multivariate analysis. Discrimination between TD scores was based on two parameters of nuclear texture. All these data suggest that WHO grading could be obtained in an objective manner by nuclear image analysis.

[Study of erythroid differentiation of K 562 cells resistant to adriamycin]. / Etude de la différenciation érythroïde des cellules K562 résistantes à l'adriamycine.

The induction of differentiation is at present one of the most promising pathway used in the field of cancer chemotherapy. As part of this research, the study of the human K562 erythroleukemic cells differentiation has shown that these cells are potent to synthesize hemoglobin when treated by 40 nmoles/l of adriamycin, 30 nmoles/l of aclacinomycin or 3.10(4) nmoles/l of hemin. This functional differentiation is accompanied by some changes in three membrane antigens expression: GPA, CD15 antigen and TfR. To complete these result, we have studied the differentiation of resistant K562 cells to adriamycin by these three inducers. Our results suggest that this cell population is able to synthesize hemoglobin after its exposition to 2.10(3) nmoles/l of adriamycin, 100 nmoles/l of aclacinomycin or 7, 5.10(4) nmoles/l of hemin. In contrary to aclacinomycin and adriamycin, hemin did not affect the three markers expression. On the other hand, only the induction by adriamycin causes membrane phenotypical changes which are erythroid differentiation specific.