MOLM-16 Cells

MOLM-16 is a human leukemia cell line derived from the peripheral blood of an adult woman with minimally differentiated acute myeloid leukemia (AML-M0) at relapse. This line exhibits a distinctive immunophenotype consistent with a myeloid/natural killer (NK) precursor leukemia, expressing CD7, CD13, CD33, CD34, and CD56. Additionally, it displays features of megakaryocytic differentiation, evidenced by the expression of markers such as CD41, CD61, CD36, CD62P, CD110, CD151, thrombospondin, von Willebrand factor (vWF), and fibrinogen. The presence of platelet peroxidase in the nuclear envelope, observed by electron microscopy, further confirms its megakaryoblastic lineage characteristics.

MOLM-16 demonstrates cytokine-dependent growth and responds to a range of hematopoietic growth factors including erythropoietin (EPO), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interleukin-3 (IL-3), PIXY321, and thrombopoietin (TPO). Cytogenetic analysis reveals complex karyotypic abnormalities such as t(6;8)(q21;q24.3) and t(9;18)(q13;q21), indicating genomic instability common in acute leukemia. The cell line lacks expression of T- and B-lymphoid markers, consistent with its myeloid/NK precursor profile, and is negative for myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, a hallmark of AML-M0. Due to its unique combination of myeloid, NK, and megakaryocytic features, MOLM-16 serves as a valuable in vitro model for investigating the biology of minimally differentiated AML, megakaryopoiesis, and leukemic differentiation pathways.