Reprogramming Erythroleuekmia Cells to Terminal Differentiation and Terminal Cell Division

In vitro differentiation of murine erythroleuekemia cells recapitulates many aspects of the erythroid terminal differentiation program, including hemoglobin synthesis and proliferation arrest. It also provides an opportunity to study the changes occurring during reprogramming of tumor cells into their normal differentiation program. This review is focused on the recent progress made in understanding the key events occurring during the reprogramming of erythroleukemia cells. We discuss the contributions of PU.1 to the block to terminal differentiation exhibited by the erythroleukemia cells as well as the role of GATA-1 in restoring normal differentiation. We also discuss the role of certain cell cycle regulators in the decision to resume normal differentiation and in the resulting terminal cell divisions and arrest.