OBJECTIVE The human leukemia K562-n cell line displays much higher tumorigenic actively in nude mice compared with its parental K562 cell line. The molecular mechanism of the differences in tumorigenicity between K562-n and K562 in nude mice was examined.METHODS The differences in gene expression between K562 and K562-n cells were analyzed by using cDNA microarrays.RESULTS Among the12,800 genes examined, there was a significant difference in expression of 139 genes between K562-n and K562 cells.Eighty-five of these genes have been registered in the GeneBank and 54are unknown. The genes accessible from the GeneBank include:1)oncogenes and tumor-supressor genes; 2) genes related to transcription regulation, the cell cycle and apoptosis; 3) genes related to the cytoskeleton and cytokinetics; 4) genes related to metabolism and transport; 5) genes related to immune function. There were also some differently expressed genes with mixed functions.CONCLUSION There are many genes differentially expressed between K562-n and K562 cells .The high tumorigenicity of the human leukemia K562-n cell line in nude mice might be related to its specific geneexpression profile.