Phorbol ester‐induced promyelocytic leukemia cell adhesion to marrow stromal cells involves fibronectin specific α5β1 integrin receptors

The human promyelocytic cell line NB4 exhibited a weak adhesion capacity in bone marrow-derived stromal cells and their extracellular matrices (5–15% of adherent cells). Adhesion was enhanced by pulse-treatment of cells with phorbolester (PMA 10−7 M). Adhesion was induced within minutes, was fibronectin-specific, and affected up to 100% of the treated cells. This biological response to PMA resulted from the activation of protein kinase C (PKC), since PKC inhibitors (staurosporine, sphingosine, CGP 41251, and calphostin C) prevented the phenomenon. Phenotypical analysis of integrin receptor expression (particularly FN receptors VLA-4 and VLA-5) at the membrane of untreated or PMA-treated cells revealed that PMA induced no significant modification of the level of expression of these receptors. However, inhibition studies carried out with anti-VLA monoclonal antibodies demonstrated that the FN-specific adhesion triggered by PKC involved the α5β1 FN-specific receptors (VLA-5) We showed that the bindings of NB4 cells to fibronectin was RGD-dependent. PMA-induced adhesion was not correlated to phosphorylation of the VLA-5 receptor. These findings may partially explain the malignant behaviour of these cells: The loss of their capacity to adhere to stomal cells may arrest differentiation and explain the large number of leukemic cells in the circulation. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.