K562 cells

[1][2] The cells are non-adherent and rounded, are positive for the bcr:abl fusion gene, and bear some proteomic resemblance to both undifferentiated granulocytes[3] and erythrocytes.

[4] In culture they exhibit much less clumping than many other suspension lines, presumably due to the downregulation of surface adhesion molecules by bcr:abl.

[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.

[14] Inhibiting these is an important regulation mechanism of cancer, because it prevents cells from progressing into mitosis.

[13] This arrest leads to “shrinkage, blebbing, nuclear fragmentation, chromatin condensing” and other morphological changes that cause the cell to program death at this point.

[12] These play a role in cellular stress, metabolism, and autophagy, by interacting with deacetylases activity in the cell.