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Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) represent a virtually unlimited source of cells suitable for a variety of biomedical applications. However, a diminishing allogeneic background and undefined culture conditions are essential for developing robust and replicable protocols for differentiation experiments, disease modeling, and drug testing. Therefore, here we report the generation of the two sex-discordant sibling hESC lines, MUNIe008-A and MUNIe009-A, using the mechanical biopsy of vitrified-thawed embryos under xeno- and feeder-free conditions. The presented approach is applicable for deriving high-quality clinical-grade hESC lines for cell replacement therapies.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have become a promising tool in cellular therapy for restoring immune system haemostasis, however, the success of clinical trials has been impaired by the lack of standardized manufacturing processes. This study aims to determine the suitability of source tissues and culture media for the production of MSC-based advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) and to define parameters to extend the set of release criteria. MSCs were isolated from umbilical cord (UC), bone marrow and lipoaspirate and expanded in three different culture media. MSC phenotype, proliferation capacity and immunosuppressive parameters were evaluated in normal MSCs compared to primed MSCs treated with cytokines mimicking an inflammatory environment. Compared to bone marrow and lipoaspirate, UC-derived MSCs (UC-MSCs) showed the highest proliferative capacity, which was further enhanced by media supplemented with bFGF, while the cells maintained their immunosuppressive characteristics. Moreover, UC-MSCs expanded in the bFGF-enriched medium were the least sensitive to undesirable priming-induced changes in the MSC phenotype. Surface markers and secreted factors were identified to reflect the cell response to inflammatory priming and to be variable among MSCs from different source tissues. This study demonstrates that UC is a favorable cell source for manufacturing MSC-based ATMPs for immunosuppressive applications. UC-MSCs are able to use the bFGF-enriched medium for higher cell yields without the impairment of immunosuppressive parameters and undesirable phenotype changes after inflammatory preconditioning of MSCs before transplantation. Additionally, immunosuppressive parameters were identified to help finding predictors of clinically efficient MSCs in the following clinical trials.

Human pluripotent stem cells have the potential to change the way in which human diseases are cured. Clinical-grade human embryonic stem cells and human induced pluripotent stem cells have to be created according to current good manufacturing practices and regulations. Quality and safety must be of the highest importance when humans’ lives are at stake. With the rising number of clinical trials, there is a need for a consensus on hPSCs characterization. Here, we summarize mandatory and ′for information only′ characterization methods with release criteria for the establishment of clinical-grade hPSC lines.

The eukaryotic nucleus is a highly complex structure that carries out multiple functions primarily needed for gene expression, and among them, transcription seems to be the most fundamental. Diverse approaches have demonstrated that transcription takes place at discrete sites known as transcription factories, wherein RNA polymerase II (RNAP II) is attached to the factory and immobilized while transcribing DNA. It has been proposed that transcription factories promote chromatin loop formation, creating long-range interactions in which relatively distant genes can be transcribed simultaneously. In this study, we examined long-range interactions between thePOU5F1gene and genes previously identified as beingPOU5F1enhancer-interacting, namely,CDYL,TLE2,RARG, andMSX1(all involved in transcriptional regulation), in human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) and their early differentiated counterparts. As a control gene,RUNX1was used, which is expressed during hematopoietic differentiation and not associated with pluripotency. To reveal how these long-range interactions betweenPOU5F1and the selected genes change with the onset of differentiation and upon RNAP II inhibition, we performed three-dimensional fluorescence in situ hybridization (3D-FISH) followed by computational simulation analysis. Our analysis showed that the numbers of long-range interactions between specific genes decrease during differentiation, suggesting that the transcription of monitored genes is associated with pluripotency. In addition, we showed that upon inhibition of RNAP II, long-range associations do not disintegrate and remain constant. We also analyzed the distance distributions of these genes in the context of their positions in the nucleus and revealed that they tend to have similar patterns resembling normal distribution. Furthermore, we compared data createdin vitroand in silico to assess the biological relevance of our results.

In this study, the effects of insulin and dexamethasone on the expression and mRNA transcription of 4 pulmonary surfactant-associated proteins [surfactant protein (SFTP)A, SFTPB, SFTPC and SFTPD] were examined. The commercially available cell lines, A549 and H441, were used as acceptable models of lung surfactant-producing cells. Subsequently, the effects of insulin on the expression of surfactant-associated proteins were examined in patients with lung adenocarcinoma during lung resection. Our results demonstrated the inhibitory effects of insulin on the transcription of the SFTPB, SFTPC and SFTPD genes in H441 cells and the SFTPB gene in A549 cells. Treatment with insulin significantly decreased the protein expression of SFTPA1 and SFTPA2 in the H441 cells and that of proSFTPB in the A549 cells. Dexamethasone promoted the transcription of the SFTPB, SFTPC and SFTPD genes in the A549 and H441 cells and reduced the transcription of the SFTPA1 and SFTPA2 genes in the H441 cells (SFTPA mRNA expression was not detected in A549 cells). Furthermore, we demonstrated that the mRNA levels of the selected genes were significantly lower in the cell lines compared to the lung tissue. A549 and H441 cells represent similar cell types. Yet, in our experiments, these cells reacted differently to insulin and/or dexamethasone treatment, and the mRNA levels of their main protein products, surfactant-associated proteins, were significantly lower than those in real tissue. Therefore, the results obtained in this study challenge the suitability of A549 and H441 cells as models of type II pneumocytes and Clara cells, respectively. However, we successfully demonstrate the possibility of studying the effects of insulin on pulmonary surfactant-associated genes and proteins in patients with lung adenocarcinoma.

Gammadelta T cells are intensively studied because their function in infection, allergy, autoimmune disease, cancer and post-transplant period is not yet fully understood. PCR-based techniques were established to study the gamma variable (Vgamma) and delta variable (Vdelta) gene families. PCR product evaluation is routinely carried out by Southern blot analysis or the third complementarity-determining region (CDR3) spectratyping, but a fast and simple assessment of Vgamma and Vdelta gene family expression is missing. The aim of our study was to test capillary electrophoresis as a potential method for evaluating the composition of the gammadelta T-cell population. This report provides optimized PCR conditions for gammadelta T-cell receptor amplification. Further it describes the utilization of capillary electrophoresis in the Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer to evaluate the relative expression of Vgamma and Vdelta gene families after their amplification. An application of the methodology to peripheral blood mononuclear cell samples from patients during hemato-oncological treatment is shown. The described methodology is fast and simple to operate and is therefore suitable as a first screening of the gammadelta T-cell population composition in tissues of interest.

International audience; CD34 is the most frequently used marker for the selection of cells for bone marrow (BM) transplantation. The use of CD133 as an alternative marker is an open research topic. The goal of this study was to evaluate the proliferation and differentiation potential for hematopoiesis (short and long term) of CD133+ and CD34+ populations from bone marrow and mobilized peripheral blood. Eight cell populations were compared: CD34+ and CD133+ cells from both the BM (CML Ph−, CML Ph+, and healthy volunteers) and mobilized peripheral blood cells. Multicolor flow cytometry and cultivation experiments were used to measure expression and differentiation of the individual populations. It was observed that the CD133+ BM population showed higher cell expansion. Another finding is that during a 6-day cultivation with 5(6)-carboxyfluorescein diacetate -succinimidyl ester (CFSE), more cells remained in division D0 (non-dividing cells). There was a higher percentage of CD38− cells observed on the CD133+ BM population. It was also observed that the studied populations contained very similar but not the same pools of progenitors: erythroid, lymphoid, and myeloid. This was confirmed by CFU-GM and CFU-E experiments. The VEGFR antigen was used to monitor subpopulations of endothelial sinusoidal progenitors. The CD133+ BM population contained significantly more VEGFR+ cells. Our findings suggest that the CD133+ population from the BM shows better proliferation activity and a higher distribution of primitive progenitors than any other studied population.

The progression of colorectal cancer involves accumulation of various genetic and epigenetic events that dramatically change gene expression. The aim of this study was to investigate a possible new approach to the diagnosis of colorectal carcinoma patients, based on their gene expression profiles. Human 19K cDNA microarrays were used to analyze the gene expression profiles of 18 colorectal carcinoma patients. Transcriptome maps (TMs) were analyzed to detect chromosomal regions that could serve as potential diagnostic markers for colon cancer. A comparison of TMs showed chromosome regions with conserved changes of gene expression typical of colorectal cancer in general, and also patient-specific variable regions. We identified 195 genes with significantly altered expression in colon cancer. Functional analysis of the regulated genes distinguished three main categories: biological processes, cellular components, and molecular functions. We found that different patients had chromosome regions characterized by very similar changes of gene expression, probably linked to the most fundamental events in carcinogenesis. On the other hand, variable chromosome regions can be patient-specific. The variable regions may provide further information on the individual pathogenesis and prognosis of the patient. Comparison of TMs is proposed as a tool to facilitate diagnosis and treatment planning for individual patients.

The nuclear arrangement of the ABL, c-MYC, and RB1 genes was quantitatively investigated in human undifferentiated HL-60 cells and in a terminally differentiated population of human granulocytes. The ABL gene was expressed in both cell types, the c-MYC gene was active in HL-60 cells and down-regulated in granulocytes, and expression of the RB1 gene was undetectable in HL-60 cells but up-regulated in granulocytes. The distances of these genes to the nuclear center (membrane), to the center of the corresponding chromosome territory, and to the nearest centromere were determined. During granulopoesis, the majority of selected genetic structures were repositioned closer to the nuclear periphery. The nuclear reposition of the genes studied did not correlate with the changes of their expression. In both cell types, the c-MYC and RB1 genes were located at the periphery of the chromosome territories regardless of their activity. The centromeres of chromosomes 8 and 13 were always positioned more centrally within the chromosome territory than the studied genes. Close spatial proximity of the c-MYC and RB1 genes with centromeric heterochromatin, forming the chromocenters, correlated with gene activity, although the nearest chromocenter of the silenced RB1 gene did not involve centromeric heterochromatin of chromosome 13 where the given gene is localized. In addition, the role of heterochromatin in gene silencing was studied in retinoblastoma cells. In these differentiated tumor cells, one copy of the RB1 gene was positioned near the heterochromatic chromosome X, and reduced RB1 gene activity was observed. In the experiments presented here, we provide evidence that the regulation of gene activity during important cellular processes such as differentiation or carcinogenesis may be realized through heterochromatin-mediated gene silencing.

Hematopoietic progenitors derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) present both a potential cell source for cell-replacement therapies and an in vitro model for hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) development. Current protocols for the hematopoietic differentiation of hESCs suffer from low efficiency and functional defects in the derived HSCs. Epigenetic mechanisms of HSC development should be addressed to overcome these imperfections. The focus of this review is to summarize the knowledge on the epigenetic regulation of pluripotency and lineage-specific genes with the emphasis on the hematopoietic cell lineage. The potential utilization of this knowledge to improve the generation of HSCs for clinical application is also discussed.

The immune systems of multiple myeloma patients are suppressed by the disease itself, and this immunosuppression is further enhanced by standard therapies. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effects of initial chemotherapy and a peripheral blood mobilisation regimen on T-cell population diversity. Reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT–PCR) with a new set of primers, in combination with capillary electrophoresis, was established. The methodology was used to analyse the relative expression of 27 T-cell receptor beta variable gene families (BV families) in multiple myeloma patients undergoing peripheral blood stem cell harvest. We found that the overall BV family usage in these patients was restricted; the relative expression of 10 BV families was significantly depressed in patients compared to healthy donors. These findings demonstrate that the preparative regimen for autologous stem cell transplantation affects the T-cell population in terms of the restriction of its T-cell receptor diversity.

Objective Hematopoietic stem cells (enriched in fraction of CD34 + cells) have the ability to regenerate hematopoiesis in all of its lineages, and this potential is clinically used in transplanting bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells. Our objective was to assemble a suitable method for evaluating gene expression in enriched populations of hematopoietic stem cells. We compared biologic properties of cells cultured ex vivo obtained using two different ways of immunomagnetic separation (positive selection of CD34 + cells and negative selection of Lin − cells) by means of a cDNA microarray technique. Methods CD34 + and Lin − cells were enriched from peripheral blood stem cell (PBSCs) grafts of patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Isolated cells were in the presence of cytokine PBSCs, Flt-3 ligand, interleukin-3, interleukin-6, and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor. At days 0, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14 cells were harvested and analyzed by cDNA microarrays. Total cell expansion, CD34 + , colony-forming unit for granulocyte-macrophage and megakaryocytes expansion, vitality, and phenotype of cells were also analyzed. Results cDNA microarray analysis of cultured hematopoietic cells proved equivalence of the two enrichment methods for PBSC samples and helped us characterize differentiating cells cultured ex vivo. Conclusion Our methodologic approach is helpful in characterizing cultured hematopoietic cells cultured ex vivo, but it is also suitable for more general purposes. Equivalence of CD34 + and Lin − selection methods from PBSC samples proved by cDNA microarray may have an implication for graft manipulation in an experimental setting of hematopoietic transplantation. Total cell expansion and colony formation and phenotype from CD34 + selected and from Lin − samples were comparable.

To detect the frequencies of interchanges among 11 chromosomes in lymphocytes irradiated with gamma-rays and to find out whether these frequencies reflect the proximity of some of these chromosomes within the interphase nucleus.Exchange aberrations were detected in the first mitosis after irradiation of human lymphocytes with 3 and 5 Gy gamma-rays of 60Co. Two-colour repeated FISH with two differently chemically modified probes in each hybridization was applied. The microscope stage positions of each mitosis were recorded after the first hybridization and used for the automatic scanning of images after all successive experiments. Five images were obtained for each mitosis differing in visualized pairs of chromosomes. Comparing these images, exchanges among 10 chromosomes could be detected. Painting of the p arm of chromosome 21 with the painting probe for chromosome 22 also made it possible to detect exchanges of this chromosome with other chromosomes of the selected group.Frequencies of exchange aberrations induced in chromosomes of the selected group as well as interchanges between many pairs of chromosomes of this group were roughly proportional to the DNA content of chromosomes. Higher frequencies of interchanges than expected according to the model of linear proportionality were found between several chromosomes involved in translocations frequent in different subtypes of leukaemia.Frequencies of interchanges among 11 chromosomes of human lymphocytes induced by gamma-rays do not indicate as clearly as fast neutrons the non-random arrangement of chromosomes in the cell nucleus. The interaction of a large number of chromosomes in exchange aberrations suggests that the chromatin in the territory of one chromosome is accessible for several other chromosomes.

The c-myc gene plays an essential role in the regulation of the cell cycle and differentiation. Therefore, changes of the c-myc positioning during differentiation are of great interest. As a model system of cell differentiation, the HL-60 and U-937 human leukemic cell lines were used in our experiments. These cells can be induced to differentiation into granulocytes that represent one of the pathways of blood cell maturation. In this study, changes of the topographic characteristics of the c-myc gene (8q24), centromeric region of chromosome 8 and chromosome 8 domain during differentiation of HL-60 and U-937 cells were detected using fluorescence in-situ hybridisation (FISH). FISH techniques and fluorescence microscopy combined with image acquisition and analysis (high-resolution cytometry) were used in order to detect the topographic features of nuclear chromatin. Increased centre of nucleus-to-gene and gene-to-gene distances of c-myc genes, centromeric region of chromosome 8 and chromosome 8 domains were found early after the induction of granulocytic differentiation by dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) or retinoic acid (RA); the size of the chromosome 8 domains was rapidly reduced. In differentiated cells, c-myc is located at greater distances from the centromeric regions of chromosome 8. These results support the idea that relocation of the c-myc gene to the nuclear periphery and the condensation of the chromosome 8 domain might be associated with the c-myc gene expression due to common kinetics during granulocytic differentiation.

Abstract 1668 Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a clonal myeloproliferative disorder of hemopoietic stem cells. The constitutively active tyrosine kinase BCR-ABL causes defects in the proliferation and differentiation of blood cells. CML is currently treated with tyrosine kinase specific inhibitors (TKIs), such as imatinib, nilotinib, and dasatinib. Transient, potent BCR-ABL inhibition with TKIs was demonstrated to commit CML cells to apoptosis irreversibly (Shah et al., Cancer Cell, 2008; Snead et al., Blood., 2009; Hiwase et al., Leukemia, 2009). This mechanism would explain the clinical efficacy of once-daily dasatinib treatment, despite the rapid clearance of the drug from the plasma. The restoration of BCR-ABL activity after TKI washout was demonstrated using phosphorylated CRKL (p-CRKL) protein as a surrogate marker. Our in vitro data challenges this model. We suggest that apoptosis observed in the BCR-ABL-positive cell line K562 and progenitor cells from chronic phase CML patients with transient dasatinib treatment is instead caused by residual kinase inhibition that persists as a consequence of intracellular drug retention. Relatively high intracellular concentrations of imatinib and dasatinib residues were measured in transiently treated K562 cells using a nanoscale liquid chromatography in-line-coupled with ion trap mass spectrometry (nanoLC-MS/MS system) (Table 1). Western blot analysis confirmed that TKI washout restored p-CRKL. However, STAT5 and ERK, two other important BCR-ABL downstream pathways, remained inhibited in K562 cells. These data suggest that p-CRKL, may not have the capacity to detect this residual TKI. Subsequent flow cytometric analysis confirmed that the residual kinase inhibition is not detectable by p-CRKL assay. To prove apoptosis is caused by residual TKI, we rescued apoptosis by performing additional washout steps in K562 cells treated with various concentrations of TKIs and measured Annexin-V expression (Figure 1). The apoptosis was completely reversible in all samples. We conclude that the reason for the equivalent efficacy of the once-daily and twice-daily TKI treatments is the most likely the intracellular retention of a low TKI concentration rather than the induction of irreversible apoptosis under a high-dose pulse treatment. Our data suggest that BCR-ABL is inhibited by residual TKI that cannot be detected by p-CRKL assay. The residual TKI was directly measured intracellularly, and it is possible to remove it by subsequent washout steps, which gradually restore apoptosis. These findings confirm that continuous target inhibition is required for the optimal efficacy of kinase inhibitors. Table 1. Intracellular concentrations of imatinib and dasatinib in K562 cells. Cells were incubated with the indicated TKI either continuously or for 0.3 hours followed by drug washout and further culture in TKI-free medium. Aliquots were lysed at defined time points and analyzed by nanoLC-MS/MS (n=3) Hours after initiation of exposure 0.3 2 6 12 24 2.5 ìM imatinib continuous (ìM) 76 ± 2 225 ± 3 32.5 ìM imatinib continuous (ìM) 4000 ± 200 1140 ± 60 32.5 ìM imatinib pulse (ìM) 3000 ± 100 66 ± 3 70.0 ± 0.2 60 ± 1 40 ± 2 1 nM dasatinib continuous (nM) 120 ± 20 200 ± 4 100 nM dasatinib continuous (nM) 4400 ± 100 3190 ± 80 100 nM dasatinib pulse (nM) 4600 ± 100 350 ± 20 250 ± 10 290 ± 10 257 ± 8 Figure 1. Effect of multiple TKI washouts on early apoptosis in K562 cells. Cells were treated in vitro with imatinib (A) or dasatinib (B) at a low-dose (i; 2.5 μM or 1 nM, respectively) or high-dose (ii; 32.5 μM or 100 nM, respectively). Cells were cultured under four conditions, as indicated: 1) continuous TKI; 2) TKI washout after 0.3 hours (1× washout); 3) TKI washout after 0.3 hours + second washout after 1 hour (2× washout) and 4) TKI washout after 0.3 hours + second washout after 1 hour + third washout after 2 hours (3× washout). Each TKI washout was performed three times with 10 ml of PBS. Cell aliquots were harvested after 0.3, 24, 48, and 72 hours, and Annexin-V was used to measure apoptosis by flow cytometry (n=3). Figure 1. Effect of multiple TKI washouts on early apoptosis in K562 cells. Cells were treated in vitro with imatinib (A) or dasatinib (B) at a low-dose (i; 2.5 μM or 1 nM, respectively) or high-dose (ii; 32.5 μM or 100 nM, respectively). Cells were cultured under four conditions, as indicated: 1) continuous TKI; 2) TKI washout after 0.3 hours (1× washout); 3) TKI washout after 0.3 hours + second washout after 1 hour (2× washout) and 4) TKI washout after 0.3 hours + second washout after 1 hour + third washout after 2 hours (3× washout). Each TKI washout was performed three times with 10 ml of PBS. Cell aliquots were harvested after 0.3, 24, 48, and 72 hours, and Annexin-V was used to measure apoptosis by flow cytometry (n=3). Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract 4472 Chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) is a clonal disorder of haematopoietic stem cells, characterized by constitutively active BCR-ABL kinase. It was previously shown, that transient inhibition of BCR-ABL by tyrosin kinase inhibitor (TKI) dasatinib induces apoptosis in CML cells (Shah 2008). Dasatinib mediated apoptosis is accompanied by increasing expression level of proapoptotic protein BIM and inhibition of its degradation in proteasome. Our aim is to find alterations in BCR-ABL downstream pathways and changes in BIM expression after pulse (wash-out after 20min) or continuous treatment with TKI dasatinib alone or in combination with proteasome inhibitor bortezomib in K562 cells. Higher mRNA levels of BIM were confirmed in both transiently and continuously treated (100nM dasatinib) K562 cells compared to low dose continuous (1nM dasatinib) treatment. Western blot analysis of BCR-ABL induced signalling pathways activity revealed, among others, sustained inhibition of MEK/ERK pathway even in the case of re-activation of BCR-ABL after drug wash-out. MEK/ERK inhibition leads to activation of proapoptotic BIM expression and inhibition of its degradation. We used bortezomib, a reversible inhibitor of proteasome, in order to test the block of BIM degradation in dasatinib treated cells. However, we have not found any difference in cell viability caused by adding of 30nM bortezomib to dasatinib treated cells neither in continuous or transient exposure. These findings suggest that equal increase of BIM in the case of pulse and continuous dasatinib treatment is caused by MEK/ERK inhibition in cells with restored BCR-ABL activity. This project is supported by grants from the Ministry of Education of Czech Republic NPVII (2B06052) and MSM-0021622430. The substance (dasatinib) for this project was supplied by BMS company. Disclosures: Mayer: BMS: Consultancy, Research Funding.

To understand how genes are distributed on chromosomes we bring new insights into gene positional clustering and its properties. We have made a large-scale analysis of three types of differentiation and we observed that genes that subsequently enter into different cell processes are positionally clustered on chromosomes. Genes from the clusters are transcribed subsequently with respect to time kinetics and also to position. This means that the genes related to a cellular process are clustered together, independent of the period of time during which they are active and important for the process. Our results also demonstrate not only that there are general regions of increased or decreased levels of gene expression, but also that, in fact, in some chromosome regions we can find clustering of genes related to specific cell processes. The results provided in this paper also support the theory of “transcription factories” and show that transcription of genes from the clusters is managed by softer epigenetic mechanisms.

Changes in nuclear architecture play an important role in the regulation of gene expression. The importance of epigenetic changes is observed during granulopoiesis, when changes in the nuclear architecture are considered a major factor that influences the downregulation of genes. We aimed to assess the influence of chromatin condensation on the regulation of gene expression during granulopoiesis. Based on a previously published microarray analysis, we chose loci with different levels of transcriptional activity during granulopoiesis. Fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH) and immunofluorescent labelling of RNA polymerase II were used to determine the relationship between the transcriptional activity of gene clusters and their localisation within areas with different levels of chromatin condensation. Although active loci were positioned outside of areas of condensed chromatin, downregulation of genes during granulopoiesis was not accompanied by a shift of the downregulated loci to condensed areas. Only the beta-globin cluster was subjected to chromatin condensation and localised to condensed areas. Our results indicate that granulopoiesis is accompanied by a non-random, tissue-specific pattern of chromatin condensation. Furthermore, we observed that the decrease in the quantity of RNA polymerase II correlates with the differentiation process and likely acts in synergy with chromatin condensation to downregulate total gene expression.

This study combines mRNA and protein analysis using cDNA and antibody microarray techniques, respectively. These create a novel, integrated perspective into cellular molecular profiles. The aims of this study were to establish a reliable way of integrating these two approaches in order to obtain complex molecular profiles of the cell and to find suitable methods to normalize the data obtained using these approaches.p align="justify"Antibody microarray and cDNA microarray techniques were used to study expression alterations in HL-60 cells that were differentiated into granulocytes using all-emtrans/emretinoic acid (ATRA). We selected this model to evaluate this combined profiling technique because the expression levels of most of the mRNA and protein species in these cells are not altered; therefore it is easier to track and define those species that are changed. The proteins whose levels were altered included c-myc, c-jun, Pyk2, FAK, PKC, TRF1, NF-kappaB and certain caspase types. These proteins are involved in apoptosis and hematopoietic differentiation pathways, and some have also been reported to have oncogenic potential. We compared the results obtained using the two methods, verified them by immunoblotting analysis, and devised normalization approaches./pp align="justify"This is one of the first demonstrations that a combination of antibody microarray and cDNA microarray techniques is required for complex molecular profiling of cells based on multiple parameters. This approach allows a more detailed molecular phenotype of the given sample to be obtained. The results obtained using a combination of the two profiling methods are consistent with those from previous studies that used more traditional methods./pmicroarray, cell profiling, protein expression, mRNA expression, HL-60.