In culture they exhibit much less clumping than many other suspension lines, presumably due to the downregulation of surface adhesion molecules by bcr:abl.[5] However, another study suggests that bcr:abl over-expression may actually increase cell adherence to cell culture plastic.[6] K562 cells can spontaneously develop characteristics similar to early-stage erythrocytes, granulocytes and monocytes[7] and are easily killed by natural killer cells[8] as they lack the MHC complex required to inhibit NK activity.[2] They also lack any trace of Epstein-Barr virus and other herpesviruses. In addition to the Philadelphia chromosome they also exhibit a second reciprocal translocation between the long arm of chromosome 15 with chromosome 17.[1]
Two sub-lines are available which express MHC class-I A2[9] and A3.[10]
^ abDrexler HG (2000). The Leukemia-Lymphoma Cell Line Factsbook. San Diego: Academic Press.
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Klein E, Ben-Bassat H, Neumann H, Ralph P, Zeuthen J, Polliack A, Vánky F (October 1976). "Properties of the K562 cell line, derived from a patient with chronic myeloid leukemia". International Journal of Cancer. 18 (4): 421–431. doi:10.1002/ijc.2910180405. PMID789258. S2CID36818335.
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Andersson LC, Nilsson K, Gahmberg CG (February 1979). "K562--a human erythroleukemic cell line". International Journal of Cancer. 23 (2): 143–147. doi:10.1002/ijc.2910230202. PMID367973. S2CID24886439.
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Lozzio BB, Lozzio CB, Bamberger EG, Feliu AS (April 1981). "A multipotential leukemia cell line (K-562) of human origin". Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine. 166 (4): 546–550. doi:10.3181/00379727-166-41106. PMID7194480. S2CID7571401.
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Lozzio BB, Lozzio CB (1979). "Properties and usefulness of the original K-562 human myelogenous leukemia cell line". Leukemia Research. 3 (6): 363–370. doi:10.1016/0145-2126(79)90033-X. PMID95026.
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Britten CM, Meyer RG, Kreer T, Drexler I, Wölfel T, Herr W (January 2002). "The use of HLA-A*0201-transfected K562 as standard antigen-presenting cells for CD8(+) T lymphocytes in IFN-gamma ELISPOT assays". Journal of Immunological Methods. 259 (1–2): 95–110. doi:10.1016/S0022-1759(01)00499-9. PMID11730845.