Na+/H+ antiporter gene expression during monocytic differentiation of HL60 cells

During differentiation of human promyelocytic HL60 cells into monocytes there are sustained increases in intracellular pH and Na+/H+ antiporter activity. Here we show that increased transcription and expression of the gene for the Na+/H+ antiporter precedes phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-induced HL60 cell differentiation. PMA increased steady-state Na+/H+ antiporter mRNA levels approximately 50-fold within 8 h (at which time less than 15% of cells had differentiated). This increase was due to an increased transcriptional rate as determined by nuclear run on. Immunoprecipitation of [35S]methionine-labeled Na+/H+ antiporter using an antiporter fusion protein antibody (RP1-c28) showed an equivalent increase in Na+/H+ antiporter protein synthesis. The synthetic diacylglycerol, 1-oleolyl-2-acetylglycerol, an activator of protein kinase C, which unlike PMA did not cause differentiation, failed to induce Na+/H+ antiporter mRNA. Furthermore, inhibition of PMA-induced differentiation by either sphingosine or cycloheximide prevented accumulation of Na+/H+ antiporter mRNA. Together, these findings strongly suggest a close association of Na+/H+ antiporter induction with HL60 cell differentiation. The HL60 cell system is a promising model to study the mechanisms of Na+/H+ antiporter gene regulation and its function in differentiation.