Ornithine decarboxylase: essential in proliferation but not differentiation of human promyelocytic leukemia cells.

The ornithine decarboxylase inhibitor DL-alpha-difluoromethyl ornithine inhibited a proliferation-associated increase in ornithine decarboxylase activity in cultured human promyelocytic leukemia cells, resulting in a marked suppression of cell proliferation and subsequent cell loss. It also inhibited increases in ornithine decarboxylase activity associated with the phorbol ester-induced conversion of promyelocytic HL-60 cells to monocyte-like cells and the retinoic acid-induced conversion to granulocyte-like cells. However, the inhibition of ornithine decarboxylase activity did not prevent cellular differentiation. These results suggest that polyamine biosynthesis has a specific role in cell proliferation rather than in inducing differentiation that is not accompanied by proliferation. The data also demonstrate that cessation of proliferation in HL-60 cells is not necessarily associated with differentiation.